The praying hands found in many Christian pieces of art were originally created by Albrecht Drer, a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg. It was commissioned as an altarpiece called ''Hands of the Apostle'' by the mayor of Frankfurt in 1508. (There is a rumor that the hands are modeled on the hands of Drer's brother. The story goes that his brother supported Drer's art by working in the mines. However, this is just an urban legend.) A later version of these praying hands appeared in another piece if Drer's work, only this time as the hands of an apostle standing at an empty grave looking heavenwards at the coronation of the Virgin Mary. The original was destroyed by fire in 1729, but a copy of the altarpiece, as well as some earlier sketches survived. Today, Drer's ''Hands of the Apostle'' can be seen all over the world in paintings, t-shirts, jewelry and other depictions of Christian faith.
