Praying Hands by Albrecht Dürer: what it depicts
Praying Hands by Albrecht Dürer
A study that outlived its altarpiece
Dürer drew these hands in 1508 as a study for an apostle in the Heller Altarpiece, a commission for a Frankfurt church. The altarpiece burned in 1729. The study survived, and became more famous than anything it was made for: two hands, the sleeves just indicated, joined and slightly lifted, drawn with a brush in white heightening and grey wash on paper Dürer had prepared blue. There is no face, no body, no setting. It is prayer with everything else taken away.
The story that they were his brother's hands, ruined by work to pay for Albrecht's training, is a later legend with no documentary basis.
The Albertina
Part of the great Dürer collection of the Albertina in Vienna, which holds one of the largest groups of his surviving drawings.
About this print
Made from the Google Arts & Culture capture of the drawing, 3,900 pixels tall. The blue is the paper's own; the sheet's edge is kept.
Sources: Albertina, Vienna, inv. 3113 · Wikidata Q699552 · Wikimedia Commons
Who Made It
Created by Albrecht Dürer. Painted in 1508. Tempera.
More like this: Renaissance
All Available Options
Below is a list of all available sizes and product types.
| Type | Size | Color | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas | 12″ x 18″ (Vertical) | - | $44.13 | In Stock |
| Canvas | 16″ x 24″ (Vertical) | - | $71.62 | In Stock |
| Framed | 12″ x 18″ (Vertical) | Black | $97.92 | In Stock |
| Framed | 12″ x 18″ (Vertical) | Espresso | $97.92 | In Stock |
| Framed | 12″ x 18″ (Vertical) | White | $97.92 | In Stock |
| Framed | 16″ x 24″ (Vertical) | Black | $121.38 | In Stock |
| Framed | 16″ x 24″ (Vertical) | Espresso | $121.38 | In Stock |
| Framed | 16″ x 24″ (Vertical) | White | $121.38 | In Stock |
Image: source, Public domain (work and photograph).
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Reviews
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From our customers
- Fantastic print, makes me happy
Arrived great, definitely feels good in the hand & quality frame
Thomas · The Incredulity of Saint Thomas