Christian groups protesting the display of 19th-century condoms in Rijksmuseum
According to the wrath of a conservative Christian group in the Netherlands, the latest acquisition of Rijksmuseum (a condom made of sheep intestines) calls it a “weird insult to God, the Catholic Church and the entire Dutch country”. Art newspaper.
In the museum’s printing room, as part of a small exhibition of 19th-century sex work, it features erotic illustrations of the nun with her legs apart, accustomed to hiking around her waist, three very enthusiastic priests. Below the image, the title reads Voilà MonChoix– “This is my choice” – A lewd imitation of the judgment of Paris mythology, and mortals must choose the most beautiful goddess. In this version, the nun seems to have made her choose her among the three awakened priests. She pointed at him.
The artifact may be a souvenir from a brothel and is considered one of only two known examples. Rijksmuseum Co-Statement Joyce Zelen told Art newspaper The object is printed directly onto the sheep’s appendix, a tolerant method than paper. “Usually, etching you can print thousands of times, but paper is easier to print [on] More than the appendix of a sheep. ” she said.
The protest, organized by Civitas Christiana and its Youth Wing TFP Student Action Europe, last week included 111 protesters and 5,000 leaflets outside the museum. The group claims the condom was originally created as an anti-Catholic propaganda during the French Revolution.
In another column, a Dutch right-wing exit shows that in museums, similar irony involving Mohammed is “unthinkable”.
However, Zaren believes that the controversy is misplaced. “Damn it as old as religion itself,” she said. “It’s very interesting.”
Rijksmuseum Show explores the period when prostitution in the Netherlands is legal, with the focus of public health efforts to curb rampant syphilis. Condoms made from animal by-products are sold carefully in barber shops and beachfront stalls. The museum’s printing room, which houses more than 750,000 works on paper, acquired the item at an auction earlier this year. It will remain visibility by November.
