The status of the artist in Islamic visual arts eludes easy categorisation, for a number of reasons. The broad geographic, cultural, and historical spectrum of Islamic visual arts, along with the specific circumstances surrounding the role of the artist in Islamic art and culture, have made it difficult to ascertain the status of the visual artist in Islamic culture and detailed study of the subject has to date not yet been undertaken. With few exceptions, the artists for whom we have some biographical information worked in the private sphere of