Guds hand, Bronze sculpture in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

Guds hand is a bronze sculpture featuring a tiny human figure balanced between the thumb and index finger of a monumental upright hand. The work rises on a tall column that makes it visible from a distance.

Carl Milles worked on The Hand of God from 1949 to 1953, and the original casting was made for Eskilstuna, the hometown of industrialist C. E. Johansson, whom the work honours. Milles modelled the large hand on his own left hand. The idea, he said, came to him in a dream, and in Paris he had been influenced by Auguste Renoir's fascination with hands.

The small figure balanced on the hand represents human vulnerability and longing, while the supporting hand conveys divine care and protection. Visitors often pause to contemplate what the gesture might mean to them personally.

The original casting stands in Eskilstuna, C. E. Johansson's hometown, on a tall square column. Authentic reproductions carry a "Millesgården" tag, so check for it on any version you see. The figure balances on the thumb and index finger, so look up from the base to make out the tensed body and splayed fingers.

Several versions of this work exist globally, though the original Swedish installation came first and inspired later castings in Denmark, Japan, Australia, and China. Each location gives the familiar form a different character through its surroundings.