Praying Hands

Praying Hands (Betende Hände) by Albrecht Dürer depicts two hands pressed together in prayer, drawn with extraordinary precision in 1508. The blue-tinted paper provides a middle tone, allowing Dürer to add both dark ink lines and white highlights. The hands belonged to a model, possibly Dürer's brother or an assistant.

Dürer created this study for the Heller Altarpiece, a major commission from Frankfurt merchant Jakob Heller. The hands appeared on an apostle figure in the central panel, which was later destroyed by fire (only copies survive). This preparatory study achieved independent fame, becoming one of the most reproduced images in art history.

The drawing is at the Albertina in Vienna.