80 Praying Hands Tattoo Ideas to Put Your Faith in

From classic art to creative designs, there are so many ways that you can depict your praying hands tattoo.

As an art history major, I learned about the original praying hands design during my time as a student. I was fascinated by all the different ways that this image has evolved and altered, particularly when it comes to tattoo designs.

In this post, I will show you all the praying hands tattoo concepts that you can use to design your piece of ink. Let's begin!

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The Best Praying Hands Tattoo Designs

Here are the top praying hand tattoo ideas that you can consider for your own ink:

Dürer Praying Hands Tattoos

There is a good chance that you may have seen a praying hands tattoo and not even known that it was a work of art.

In 1508, Albrecht Dürer did an ink and pencil drawing of hands touched in prayer. Over time, this image gained popularity and what reinvented across various mediums, including body art! This piece of art is over 500 years but is still a stunning homage to the artist.

The Endurance of the Praying Hands Design

So, what makes this particular work quite so special and why should you use it as a tattoo image?

Well, what makes this praying hands tattoo impressive is the attention to detail. The praying hands are drawn so beautifully and so realistically - you can see every feature and vein in the hands. This gives this praying hands tattoo a great deal of realism.

Also, if you take a closer look, you will see that the cuffs close to the wrist are loosely folded but there is no indication of who the person is.

To a certain extent, these details were added to the praying hands on purpose. This means that the praying hands could belong to anybody - man or woman. The only thing that matters here is their religious devotion.

At the same time, the rolled cuffs suggest a person from the working class. So, these praying hands are meant to symbolize the average person who engages in worship.

The Dual Meaning of the Praying Hands Artwork

Of course, if you want to dig a little deeper, you will discover that there is a new theory about this praying hands design. See, initially, people believed that Dürer did this drawing as a sketch for an altar that was to be erected.

However, as art experts have closely examined the sketch, they believe that it contains far too much detail to be simply used for an altar. Instead, they believe that Dürer was using his praying hands drawing as a way of showcasing his talent and getting commissioned work.

Due to this, this praying hand form can be a great way to depict human nature and its battle to serve its own purpose versus religious devotion.

The Praying Hands Design as a Universal Symbol of Faith

Of course, if you simply like this praying hands design because of the style, detail, and simplicity, then that's fine too!

After all, praying hands are a universal symbol and not just among the people who follow the Christian faith. Most religious groups will place their hands in this position. As such, a minimalistic praying hands tattoo such as this can represent faith - any deep faith at all.

Also, a praying hands tattoo is a way to remind yourself to keep your physical body calm and to focus on absolute peace.

If this is the kind of praying hand tattoo idea that you like, then here are some tattoo designs for you to check out:

Praying Hands Tattoos with Halos

Another great way to depict the praying hands form is to add a halo to the image. Now, this halo may not be exactly what you think it may be.

When it comes to artwork, halos take up all shapes and forms. For your praying hands tattoo, you should consider streams of heavenly light surrounding the praying hands.

This is an excellent tattoo to get if you belong to the Catholic faith and if your praying hands tattoo is more than just a symbol for you.

If you want a truly religious tattoo, then this design for the praying hands is ideal. The streams of heavenly light surrounding the hands is a way of showing that prayer works and that it can have a healing effect on those who engage in it.

Praying Hands Tattoos with Rosary Beads

If you want to ramp up the religious element of your praying hands tattoo, then you should consider getting a rosary tattoo alongside it.

This is because rosary beads are an important part of faith in Jesus Christ and prayer for the Catholic faith. The rosary is based on a set of prayers used by the Roman Catholic church.

Due to this, it has significant meaning and you will often find people clasping rosary beads in their praying hands. So, if you are looking for more detailed praying tattoos, then this is a good detail to consider.

One of the things that I like about this type of praying hands tattoo is that there are a lot of different options for you here. This is because not all rosaries are alike - some are made from wood, while others contain details like knots along the chain.

You can even model your tattoo after a rosary that you own. Just make sure to take your rosary or your desired design to your tattoo artist so that they know which details they should include in this gorgeous tattoo.

As different tattoo artists have their own style, I would look for one that has experience with such designs so that you get exactly what you want.

Check out these praying hands tattoo designs to draw inspiration from!

Religious Praying Hands Tattoos

Now, I know what you must be thinking - haven't all the tattoos that I have discussed so far been religious in nature?

Yes, they have but for truly religious people, the above tattoos may not contain enough faith-based elements. If you want to create a beautiful tattoo that showcases the extent of your faith, then you may want to take things to the next level.

There are various components that you can include in your praying hands tattoo. For instance, you can include the Virgin Mary. This can give your praying hands design a softer and more feminine feel to it.

If there are certain words in the bible that you live by or want to constantly remind yourself of, then you can also get a scripture tattoo.

If you would like, you can also get three crosses - these signify the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, if you would like to symbolize that Jesus sacrificed his physical body for your sins, then you can get a single cross.

When it comes to your praying hands design, the religious symbols don't always have to be overt. A beautiful dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, beaming sunlight can be heavenly rays, and even roses are considered a symbol of the Catholic faith.

Of course, including all of these elements in a single tattoo is no easy task so make sure that you work with tattoo artists who are talented and experienced enough to tackle such a job.

Praying Hands Tattoos with Female Hands

This is a fairly new praying hands tattoo design but I am completely on board with it! With these praying hands tattoo designs, the hands are distinctly female - you can tell this by the long nails or more delicate structure of the hands.

This is such an empowering praying hands tattoo to get. Religious devotion in the form of tattoos tends to be a rather masculine trend. However, with the changing of times, women are getting more and more tattoos to showcase their faith.

Script with Praying Hands Tattoos

Many people use tattoos to commemorate their loved ones. So, if you wish to honor a lost family member or even one who is still living, then getting their name tattooed along with a praying hands tattoo can make for a beautiful tattoo.

This can be a wonderful idea if the person that you are commemorating is or was known for their faith. At the same time, this kind of praying hands tattoo is a great way to keep this individual in your thoughts and prayers.

Tattooed Praying Hands Tattoos

Yes, this kind of praying hands design is pretty cool and certainly a different take on the traditional concept. However, this kind of praying hands tattoo is more than aesthetic.

This praying hands design is a more contemporary take on religion as well as faith. For the longest time - and this continues to be true today - there were a lot of things that were banned or frowned upon.

This often included tattoos, certain hairstyles, ways of dressing, and more. Increasingly, though, times are changing and the church has begun to accept people from all walks of life.

And, tattooed hands praying can be a symbol of this increased level of acceptance.

Of course, if you want, this praying hands tattoo can have a completely different meaning for you.

It could mean that you are someone who is considered on the fringe of society and who isn't welcomed into most places of worship. Despite this, you still continue to believe and practice your faith in your manner of choosing.

Creative Praying Hands Tattoos

Many of the praying hands designs can appear to have repeating themes. And, if you are someone who likes to make their own mark, you may be on the lookout for something a bit more unique.

Well, the good news is that there are actually plenty of praying hands concepts for you to choose from in this case.

Check out this tattoo, for instance. For one thing, I love that it is done in the traditional tattooing style. For another, I like that the snake wrapped around the praying hands adds another level to this piece.

As the devil is often portrayed as a serpent, this can be a reminder for you to stay on the right path even temptation is close by. What I also like is that most of these praying hands designs are done in black and white ink, but this tattoo artist has pulled this off beautifully in color.

Then there is this tattoo - instead of the rosary, you have broken chains. This is yet another significant tattoo. It could show that through prayer and faith, you have been able to break the chains that have been binding you.

Here, you have devil hands in the praying hands position. This could be strictly for aesthetic purposes. At the same time, it could mean that even though you may see yourself as devilish or bad, no one is too far gone to pray or to be saved. This kind of tattoo could also be a way to forgive yourself for your occasional sins.

The hands in this tattoo are skeletal but apart from that, they are reminiscent of the Durer design. This could be a good way to showcase that your faith will outlive you and continue to inspire people even after you are gone.

This is also a very thought provoking tattoo. The knife clasped between the praying hands is an interesting touch. It can be a sign of how sometimes, your actions don't always match your thoughts or your words.

It could also be a symbol of how people can somehow lead double lies, including people who consider themselves pious. The coloring and shading of this tattoo really do take it to the next level, adding a sense of realism to it.

Here are some other thought provoking ideas:

Of course, being creative to you could mean fun and zany. If you enjoy tattoos that are a little kooky or ones that make you or others last, then here are some ideas that you should be checking out:

There you have it - here are all the praying hands tattoo ideas that you can use to determine what your own style and concept should be. As you can see, there is plenty for you to choose from so you are sure to be spoilt for choice!