As Blake’s inscription on the lower right shows, this work illustrates lines from chapter 22 of the Book of Revelation. The River of Life flows from the throne of God to the Tree of Life. The figures are Blake’s invention.
The river banks may represent Innocence (left) and Experience (right). Innocence is symbolised by the babe in arms and the child reaching up to the tree of knowledge. Experience is symbolised by the grey bearded figures hiding books. Christ leads two children through the river towards the sun which is the light of the Lord.