Auguste Rodin

The hand emerging from this block of rough-hewn marble represents the hand of God forming Adam and Eve. Its scale and energy contrast dramatically with the delicate bodies intertwined in a primal embrace, connecting Rodin’s interests in realism and symbolism. While evoking the act of a divine creator, Rodin also suggested his own identity as an artist and worker whose hand modeled life from stone.

One of three known marble versions, this work was purchased directly from Rodin by the Rhode Island industrialist and politician Samuel P. Colt and acquired by the Museum after Colt’s death.