Winning palm: The Mandela hand print - A lithograph of Nelson MAndela's right hand, with what appears to be a map of Africa in the palm
British collectors spend thousands on prints of the ex-President's right hand, which show an image of Africa on his palmAndrew Unsworth: London
A London art gallery was inundated with visitors, e-mails and phone calls this week after the Times newspaper published a front-page picture of a lithograph showing the hand print of former President Nelson Mandela.
The print shows a depression in the centre of his palm in the shape of the African continent.
The lithograph is being sold at the Belgravia Gallery, which also sells watercolours by Prince Charles. The gallery has previously sold works by Mandela depicting Robben Island to raise money for his charities.
Gallery manager Laura Hunter said she had had to employ back-up staff to cope with inquiries, and that the gallery had sold at least 200 prints in two days.
"It's real and it's spooky," she said. "I've met him, spent time with him in Johannesburg, and I'm absolutely convinced that the prints are real. I want to make one of my own hand to see if it shows England!"
The Times reported that the original print was created by Mandela in February while working on drawings of Robben Island. He was in his studio when he rested his hand on one of his paintings, covering it in acrylic paint. When he wiped his hand on a clean piece of paper, the image of Africa appeared on the paper.
The image of Africa appears only on Mandela's right-hand print.
