E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Lay Figures.
Wooden figures with free joints, used by artists chiefly for the study of drapery. This is a metaphorical use of lay. As divines divide the world into two parties, the ecclesiastics and the laity, so artists divide their models into two classes, the living and the lay.
