Originally named “Ark of the Covenant”, The Cathedral stages two right hands enlaced in a highly aesthetic gesture. This sculpture from 1908 illustrates Rodin’s interest for cathedrals, which reached its zenith in 1914 and the publication of Cathedrals of France. In this book, Rodin lyrically celebrates these emblematic monuments and compares their beauty to the charm of women’s bodies: “I want to celebrate these stones, delicately turned into masterpieces by and humble and skilled craftsmen, these moldings lovingly shaped as women lips[…]”.

The cupped hands, and the way they join in a curved shape, symbolically refer to the gothic vault, one of the main stereotypes of cathedrals architecture. The hand has a metonymical value through its way to… The hand could also refers to the hands of the craftsmen, and therefore be seen as a thought on the demiurge artist. The tools marks, clearly visible on the work, strengthen the feeling of creation in motion. The hand is a recurring symbol in Rodin’s work: it can be seen in many sculptures such as The Secret of the Hand, The Hand of God or the Devil’s hand. It highlights the artist interest in the fragment and the antique statuary, which greatly impacted the sculptors work.