Jupiter and Mercury in the house of Philemon and Baucis

The moralising fable of Baucis and Philemon is recounted by Ovid in his Metamorphoses VIII. The old married couple were the only ones to welcome Zeus and Hermes, who arrived in their Phrygian town disguised as peasants asking for hospitality. The two gods decided to flood the inhospitable town and all the people that turned them away. The cottage where Philemon and Baucis lived was transformed into a temple and the old couple became its guardians. They were granted one wish by the gods; they chose to die at the same time. When this happened they were changed into two intertwining trees, one of oak and the other a linden tree.
We are grateful to Professor Ugo Ruggeri for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs.