Praying Hands Tattoo Meaning
Two hands joined in prayer need no explanation. It is one of the clearest religious tattoos there is — a sign of faith, of hope, and very often of remembrance.
Faith and prayer
Praying hands show a person turning to God — in gratitude, in a request for help, or in trust. The tattoo is a statement of faith and a reminder to pray, to stay humble and to keep hope.
Dürer's Praying Hands
The most famous image of praying hands is a drawing by the German artist Albrecht Dürer from 1508, a study of an apostle's hands made for an altarpiece. Its realistic detail — the veins, the wrinkles, the folded sleeves — is the direct source of countless black and grey tattoos.
Praying hands with a rosary
Hands holding a rosary, with the cross hanging down, add the meaning of Catholic devotion and of the prayers of the rosary to the Virgin Mary. This version is a classic of Chicano and Mexican black and grey tattooing.
The memorial meaning
Praying hands with a name, dates, clouds or rays of light are a common memorial tattoo — a prayer for someone who has died, or the image of a parent or grandparent who prayed for the family.
Praying hands in black and grey
Hands are one of the hardest subjects in realism: the joints, the veins and the light between the palms have to be exact. Praying hands usually take the forearm, the upper arm, the chest or the back, and they often stand at the center of larger religious pieces with a cross, a Madonna or clouds.
Praying hands Tattoo Questions
What does a praying hands tattoo symbolize?
Faith, prayer, hope and humility, and often the memory of someone who has died.
Where do praying hands tattoos come from?
The best-known source is Albrecht Dürer's drawing of praying hands from 1508.
What does praying hands with a rosary mean?
Catholic devotion and prayer to the Virgin Mary; it is a classic of Chicano black and grey tattooing.