These two paintings formerly belonged to the collection of the Durazzo family, for whom, according to historic records, Bartolomeo Guidobono made several works, for both their city and country residences. Indeed, the palazzo in Via Balbi also houses an Apollo pastore (Apollo as Shepherd) and a Diana ed Endimione (Diana and Endymion) by the same artist. Bacchus and Ceres refer to autumn and summer and were probably originally part of a group of four paintings depicting the seasons. The artist seems to want to involve the observer in the mysterious dynamic of the two compositions in a studied interplay of inviting gestures, glances and smiles. The paintings are marked out by a softness of the paint, by the light picking out the figures against an indistinct background, and by a harmony of colour, all highly representative features of the Savona painter’s style.