William Blake The Ghost of Flea 1819-20 Tempera & gold on mahogany, William Blake

William blake the ghost of a flea 1819-20 tempera & gold on mahogany john varley – an artist, astrologer and close friend of blake – reported in his treatise on zodiacal physiognomy (1828) that blake once had a spiritual vision of a ghost of a flea and that ‘this spirit visited his imagination in such a figure as he never anticipated in an insect. ’ while drawing the spirit it told the artist that all fleas were inhabited by the souls of men who were ‘by nature bloodthirsty to excess’. In the painting it holds a cup for blood-drinking and stares eagerly towards it. Blake’s amalgamation of man and beast suggests a human character marred by animalistic traits. William blake (1757‑1827) the ghost of a flea c. 1819-20 tempera and gold on mahogany 214 x 162 mm frame: 382 x 324 x 50 mm tate bequeathed by w. Graham robertson 1949 reference n05889. Object Type: painting.