Portugal Colonial - Dutch museum rolls out 200-year-old condom

The ancient contraceptive is probably made from a sheep's appendix and may be a souvenir from a brothel -- of which only two known copies exist, the museum said in a statement.

"It shows that printmaking had many applications and offers insight into sexuality and prostitution in the 19th century," according to the museum.

The museum said it would display the sheath as part of an exhibit on 19th century prostitution and sexuality.

The print on the condom shows a nun lifting up her skirt and pointing her finger at three clergymen, who also have their genitals on full display.

"It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health," said the museum.

The Rijksmuseum noted the condom came from an era where sex was "fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases -- especially syphilis."

The print room at the museum holds some 750,000 prints and drawings.

"This is the first example in the Rijksmuseum collection of a print on a condom," noted the statement.

M.Carneiro--PC