Sacrifice to Priapus, the smaller plate 1501-1503 Italy. The medical term priapism is derived from the name of the minor fertility god Priapus, whose permanently erect phallus is carefully washed in this sacrificial scene. Jacopo deí Barbari also produced a larger engraving (1935.102 and 1956.999) in which the godís phallus is obscured by smoke. The ceremonies depicted in these prints would have been intended to enhance the womenís fertility and their sonsí virility. The winged staff of Hermes doubles as the artistís monogram in both prints; its placement on Priapusís plinth may refer to the practice of erecting guideposts with Hermesí portrait near roads to help lost travelers. Like the statue in this work, these pillars would have included sculpted, protruding genitalia, as in the Master of 1515ís engraving of Cleopatra (1951.374).. Engraving on ivory laid paper . Jacopo de' Barbari