The episode depicted is taken from the Book of Genesis. Having fled from the destruction of the city of Sodom, seen in flames in the background of the painting, Lot’s daughters fear being left alone on earth and therefore unable to perpetuate their line. They therefore decided to get their old father drunk in order to lie with him.    
Guercino tackled this subject at least four times during his career: the first version, painted in his youth, was intended for Cardinal Alessandro Ludovisi, while the other three were produced around 1650 for the art merchant Girolamo Panessi and immediately divided among various private collections.

The canvas displayed here is one of various copies produced by the master’s inventiveness: in Guercino's studio, copying was not only allowed but probably encouraged by the master himself who, in this way, could increase the studio’s income by also catering to a less wealthy clientele. The Bologna copy was one of the best quality: the transparency of the chalice and the filament-like brushstrokes that make elderly Lot’s skin appear rough can be admired. For this exhibition, the attribution is being proposed to Guercino's nephew, Cesare Gennari.