Paar handen c. 1840 - 1843

This study of hands, rendered in graphite by Sybrand Altmann, captures a gesture laden with cultural and psychological weight. Note the clasped hands, fingers intertwined—a motif that appears throughout art history. We see it echoing in devotional images of praying saints, or in portraits symbolizing familial unity. Think of Dürer's "Praying Hands," where a similar gesture embodies piety and supplication. But let us also consider a darker resonance. In certain contexts, clasped hands evoke anxiety, anticipation, or even constraint. How often have we, in moments of stress, instinctively wrung or clasped our hands? This primal action, passed down through generations, is a powerful, subconscious expression of our inner states. Thus, Altmann's study transcends mere anatomical observation, and instead, presents us with a potent symbol of human emotion, caught in the eternal dance of feeling and expression.