The Ghost of a Flea - William Blake
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Beskrivning
A haunting tempera painting by William Blake, depicting a visionary creature born from the artist's own supernatural experiences.
William Blake produced The Ghost of a Flea during a period of intense visionary activity. The work originated from a series of 'visionary heads' that Blake claimed to see during séances with his friend and patron, the painter John Varley. According to Varley, Blake described the flea as a creature possessed by the bloodthirsty spirit of a man, which required a bowl to catch the blood it craved. The figure is depicted in a profile stance, stepping between two heavy curtains that suggest a theatrical stage.
Blake utilised tempera on a mahogany panel, incorporating gold leaf to provide a metallic sheen to the background and the creature's scales. The figure itself is muscular and reptilian, with a small, pointed head and a gaping mouth. Its posture is deliberate, conveying a sense of predatory movement. The background features stars, which add to the cosmic or otherworldly atmosphere of the scene.
This work is characteristic of Blake's rejection of the rationalism prevalent in the Enlightenment. He preferred to draw from his internal imagination rather than direct observation of the physical world. The composition is tightly controlled, focusing the viewer's attention on the grotesque anatomy of the subject. The use of gold leaf reflects Blake's interest in medieval illumination and his desire to elevate his visionary subjects to the status of icons. The work remains one of the most singular examples of British Romanticism, demonstrating the artist's unique ability to translate his internal hallucinations into a tangible, physical form.
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Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Ghost of a Flea - William Blake
Artist Biography
William Blake
He married Catherine Boucher in 1782. She was illiterate at the time and signed the marriage register with an X. He taught her to read, write, and engrave, and she became his collaborator for the next forty-five years: mixing paint, operating the printing press, hand-colouring plates, and binding the finished pages into covers.
Their working method was Blake's own invention, revealed to him (he said) in a dream by the spirit of his dead brother Robert. Relief etching reversed the standard printmaking process: instead of cutting lines into copper, Blake wrote and drew on the plate in acid-resistant varnish, then dissolved the surrounding metal with acid, leaving text and image raised. This allowed him to compose poetry and illustration simultaneously on a single plate, print them together, then hand-colour each sheet in watercolour. Every copy was therefore unique. Songs of Innocence and of Experience was produced this way. He sold fewer than thirty copies during his lifetime.
In 1803, he physically threw a soldier named John Schofield out of his garden in Felpham. He was charged with assault and with uttering treasonable expressions against the King. He was acquitted at the Chichester assizes in January 1804.
Newton, painted in 1795, shows the scientist as a young man with the body of a Greek god, bent forward at the bottom of a dark ocean, fixing his gaze on a pair of compasses, measuring and drawing on a scroll that appears to project from his own head. It is a painting about the limits of reason: beautiful, precise, and missing everything beyond the edge of the paper. The Ancient of Days, from the same period, depicts his mythological figure Urizen crouching at the edge of a void, reaching down with a compass to measure the darkness below.
He died on 12 August 1827, working on illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. He was buried at Bunhill Fields. The wider recognition came decades later.
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