The Art of Symbolism
The Praying Hands
Two hands pressed together, drawn in brush and white on blue paper. Dürer meant it as a study; it became an icon.
The drawing
In 1508 Dürer was painting an altarpiece for the Frankfurt merchant Jakob Heller. He drew the hands of one of the apostles as a study for it. The altarpiece's central panel was later lost in a fire in 1729; the drawing survived, and is kept today at the Albertina in Vienna.
The legend
A popular story says the hands belonged to Dürer's brother, who gave up his own art so Albrecht could study. It is a moving story, but no record supports it — the hands were drawn for an apostle.
