The theme of the human hand, often depicted grasping other forms, plays an important role in Rodin's sculpture after 1900. The present work is constructed from two right hands, and follows Rodin's frequent practice of excerpting fragments from earlier works and regrouping them to generate new ideas. The counterpoint of the two hands and their powerful arching movement suggested the title to the sculptor, who possessed a great love of Gothic architecture, and later wrote a book on the subject, Les cathédrales de France, which he published in 1914. Rodin also called the sculpture The Arch of Alliance.