It is often believed that the art of Islam per se is afigural. Indeed the Hadith literature forbids the depiction of living beings, but conversely figural depictions can be found in many non-religious contexts. Manuscript painting, pottery and metalwork commissioned for private use did not adhere to the Hadith and show a wealth of figural decoration. Yet, although we know of many animal figures, sculptures of humans are very rare.

A great number of terracotta figurines was found by the Iraqi Directorate of Antiquities in Wasit, an early Islamic site (Fuad, Safar, Wasit, The Sixth Season's Excavations, Cairo, 1945, pp. 36-37, plts. XVIII-XXI) They dated from the Ilkhanid period and comprised sets of female dancers, jud and basin bearers and musicians. Their features, dress and postures are reminiscent of the general Ilkhanid repertoire and support the dating. The excavation report suggests that the findspot on the site had served as a toy shop.

A figure much closer to ours in spirit was found in Fustat. It comprises a nude female clay figure with pronounced naval (Kubiak, W. and Scanlon, G.T., Fustat Expidition Final Report, Vol. II, Fustat C, Winona Lake 1989, p. 34, fig. 44).