# What does the lady in this painting have in her lap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 7, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520 "2008-09-07T19:16:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/1 "2008-09-07T19:16:20Z")
I was browsing amateur art online, and found this piece. The artist gave no description. My guess is a cushion, in a bad choice of color. [Painting](http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathysq/2837250450/) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lovely_Margo_Lane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/2 "2008-09-07T19:21:25Z")
Guitar. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/3 "2008-09-07T19:23:20Z")
Hatbox? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/4 "2008-09-07T19:25:02Z")
1. Hat box 2. Roll of cheese 3. A guitar. This is the one I really think it is due to the pose and especially the arm position. Maybe a badly drawn Spanish lady in red dress playing guitar. I typed this before anybody else posted, so I wasn’t influenced by them. God I wish I could type better and not have to edit forever. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/5 "2008-09-07T19:25:46Z")
I think it’s a guitar, too. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/6 "2008-09-07T19:26:03Z")
It looks like a guitar to me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/7 "2008-09-07T19:29:14Z")
Yeah, it’s a guitar, with a strap button visible. But I like the wedge of cheese answer better. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/8 "2008-09-07T19:36:23Z")
It’s an enormous peach. Or an enormous peach-colored ass, with a pimple on it. Looks like the poor guy’s body was severed at the waist, and both thighs. Ugh. Why’d you make me _look_ at that? ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/9 "2008-09-07T19:37:37Z")
“Janine and the Giant Peach.” …okay, I got nuttin’… ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/10 "2008-09-07T19:47:43Z")
Guitar or a dulcimer. Do we know if she is Abyssinian? ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/11 "2008-09-07T19:49:42Z")
My god, someone has finally recovered Gauguin’s lost _Woman With Backhoe Bucket!_ ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/12 "2008-09-07T20:04:24Z")
A cat bellybutton. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/13 "2008-09-07T20:05:02Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > It’s an enormous peach. > > Or an enormous peach-colored ass, with a pimple on it. > > Looks like the poor guy’s body was severed at the waist, and both thighs. > > Ugh. Why’d you make me _look_ at that? Whew, I was beginning to think I was the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/14 "2008-09-07T20:11:15Z")
Oh, I tend to see naked buttocks everywhere I look. It’s my curse. Or gift. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/15 "2008-09-07T20:12:27Z")
Perhaps she’s wearing a [fur](http://www.shopnbc.com/media/products/A/A15175_200.jpg) [muff](http://www.morninggloryantiques.com/imagesJC/PhotoLadies/pvicster.jpg) (don’t worry- safe links) on her left hand. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/16 "2008-09-07T20:16:52Z")
It’s got to be a guitar. Look at the little button in the middle of the visible section. Does look like an ass, though. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/17 "2008-09-07T21:27:41Z")
My immediate thought was “arse!”, but yeah, more likely a guitar. Probably done from a life class where the artist arrived late and got stuck with the easel at the worst angle. His/her teacher then forced him/her to post the picture online as both punishment and encouragement to be on bloody time from now on. Or maybe he/she is insanely proud of the fact that the subject is at least recognisably human and the eyes (if you squint) aren’t _that_ badly out of alignment. Og knows I’ve been there (but not online). ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/18 "2008-09-07T21:36:15Z")
> [@maggenpye](#): > > Probably done from a life class where the artist arrived late and got stuck with the easel at the worst angle. Oh, good one. I was wondering why you’d paint someone from that angle. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/19 "2008-09-08T14:49:44Z")
hahahahaha…that is all. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520/20 "2008-09-08T15:44:51Z")
Another vote for guitar. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-lady-in-this-painting-have-in-her-lap/462520.md?page=2)