The hand of God by Auguste Rodin:
This popular piece represents divine creation expressed in terms of the sculptor’s art: the rough stone is both primeval matter and the sculptor’s medium; the smooth, white emerging forms held by the hand are the bodies of the first man and woman, while the great, life-giving hand itself is a symbol of the original Creator, and, perhaps quite literally, of the sculptor as well.

It has been established that the origin of the Hand of God was a study for a hand used for two of the personages in The Burghers of Calais (Jacques & Pierre de Wiessant) whose gestures express farewell and despair. This is a particularly interesting example of Rodin’s gift for giving completely different meanings to works composed of common elements.