The work is accompanied by a photo certificate from the artist.

From 1994 to 1996 Peter Blake was artist in residence at the National Gallery in London. During this time, he created works relating to classical paintings at the National Gallery. He had the choice of 66 rooms full of paintings and decided to take it on – and as he said, to prove he was a serious artist.
He was inspired by Michelangelo’s „Leda and the Swan“ and Longhis „Rhinozeros“, by Bronzino, Rubens, Titian or Velazquez and Cranach. The result was presented from October 1996 in the exhibition „Now we are 64: Peter Blake at the National Gallery“ with 60 works, among them some from earlier years. The present work, created after Pollaiuolos „Apollo and Daphne“ from the 15th century, was also included in the exhibition.
The Florentine brothers Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo were born some 10 years apart and started on different paths. Piero trained as a painter, perhaps with Andrea dal Castagno. Antonio is usually considered the greater artist; he developed design skills which were the basis of the painting and sculpture for which he was famous. Antonio had his own workshop by 1459 and styled himself painter and sculptor. He was, and remains, famous for his work in other media such as designs for embroidery, engraving and enamel-work. His engraving of the 'Battle of the Ten Nudes' was the largest and most influential print of the 15th century, providing models of the male body in action. The name Pollaiuolo means 'poulterer', which was the occupation of their father, Jacopo di Giovanni Benci.
"Apoll and Daphne" was ascribed to Antonio first, but is today believed to be a work of Piero. In fact, it might be a collaboration of the brothers, as they often worked together on the same piece.
The painting illustrates one of the „Metamorphoses“ by Ovid. The god Apollo had ridiculed Eros as a bad shot. To revenge himself, Eros shot a golden love arrow at Apollo and a repulsing lead arrow at the nymph Daphne. Pursued by Apollo, the fleeing nymph appealed to her father, the river god Peneios, to change her shape. He turned her into a laurel tree. In honour of Daphne, from then on Apollo either wore a laurel wreath or had his Kithara adorned with laurel. "Apollo and Daphne" has been one of the favourite mythological themes in art since the Renaissance and inspired many artists, from Bernini, Poussin and Tiepolo to Klimt, Zadkine, Rickey, Lüpertz and Kiefer. It has also served as opera theme for many composers, such as Händel or Richard Strauss.