A 200-year-old sheep's gut condom with a picture of a naughty nun with a very dirty habit tempting three priests has gone on show in the Netherlands' national museum.
The device is believed to have been created for a 19th-century Amsterdam brothel to amuse its clients.
The condom is 20 centimetres (7.8 inches) long and decorated with an erotic image of a nun and three clergymen.
As the nun bares her breasts, she sits splay-legged on a chair and hitches up her habit to her waist.
Anonymous, Condom with print, c. 1830. Acquired through the F.G. Waller Fonds. Note: Photo from museum. (Rijksmuseum/Kelly Schenk/Newsflash/NX)
She is seen pointing at the three priests, who have all pulled up their cassocks to show their state of arousal.
Its caption reads "Voila mon choix", which is French for 'This is my choice', said by experts to be a reference to the 'Judgement of Paris' from Greek mythology that led up to the Trojan War when goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite had Paris of Troy choose the most beautiful of them.
The condom is the star exhibit at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum's 'Safe Sex' exhibition about 19th-century sex workers, which opened on 3rd June.
It faces stiff competition from the gallery's priceless standing exhibits like works by Van Gogh and Dutch Golden Age painter Vermeer.
Anonymous, Condom with print, c. 1830. Acquired through the F.G. Waller Fonds. Note: Photo from museum. (Rijksmuseum/Kelly Schenk/Newsflash/NX)
Experts believe the condom, crafted from a sheep's appendix, was originally created around 1830.
Museum officials say they bought the device six months ago for a bargain EUR 1,000 (GBP 841).
They said in a statement on 2nd June: "A rare condom dating from 1830 will go on display at the Rijksmuseum on 3rd June 2025.
"This almost 200-year-old contraceptive – probably made from a sheep’s appendix – features an erotic etching depicting a nun and three clergymen.
"Thought to have been a souvenir from a brothel, only two such objects are known to have survived to the present day.
"It reveals that printing was being used in a wide range of contexts, and provides an insight into sexuality and prostitution in the 19th century.
"Acquiring the condom has enabled us to focus on 19th-century sexuality and prostitution, a subject that is underrepresented in our collection.
"It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health, in an era when the quest for sensual pleasure was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases – especially syphilis."
The museum explained: "Seated with her legs apart in front of three clergymen, the nun points her finger at one of them.
"The men, standing, hold their robes up to display their state of sexual arousal.
"The inscription 'Voila mon choix', meaning ‘This is my choice’, makes the print a parody of both celibacy and the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology."
Museum curator Joyce Zelen says the use of Greek mythology suggested the original owner of the condom would have been a high-ranking member of society.
She explained: "We believe that whoever acquired the condom would have been fairly sophisticated and well-educated."
Before the 1840s, when rubber became mass-produced, condoms were typically made from linen, animal membranes and even turtle shells.
But many did little to give protection from sexually transmitted diseases or prevent pregnancy.
Zelen added: "In the 1830s, when this condom was made, the use of condoms was still frowned upon, especially by the Church.
"They were mostly sold under the counter at brothels or barber shops, though there are some reports of luxury shops offering bespoke tailoring."
The exhibit is believed to have never been used in passion, Zelen said, after the museum examined it under UV light.
And even 200 years ago, it seems that the Netherlands was a hotspot of inclusivity.
Zelen explained: "It's unclear whether the nun in the etching is pointing at the bald man, the thin man, or the one who looks slightly overweight.
"That way, any type of man could feel spoken to."
The exhibition is on display until the end of November.
(Joseph Golder / newsX)