# The Ghost of a Flea

By [fel0x.eth](https://paragraph.com/@fel0x-eth) · 2023-03-27

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William Blake painted [“The Ghost of a Flea”](https://www.tate-images.com/preview.asp?image=N05889) in 1819. His close friend John Varley claimed that Blake once dreamed of the spirit depicted in the painting, describing it as the soul of a bloodthirsty man trapped in a flea.

The painting is tempura and gold on mahogany wood.

As of this writing, the collection is not currently on display. It is in the Tate collection in the UK.

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*Originally published on [fel0x.eth](https://paragraph.com/@fel0x-eth/the-ghost-of-a-flea)*