The V&A museum purchased it in 1896 from Mrs. Clarke, the widow of Major General John Clarke, an official who had been the commissioner in Oudh province between 1858-62. From Mrs Clarke, the Dingle, Syndenham Hill, S.E.
Mariam Makani was created during the Mughal Empire around 1590–95 as a folio of the Akbarnama, the official chronicle of Akbar's reign, which was commissioned by the emperor himself and composed by his court historian Abu'l Fazl between 1590 and 1596. This work, executed in the Mughal style, portrays Akbar's mother, Mariam Makani, who held the honorific title of Hamida Banu Begum, meaning "dwelling at the same loftiness as the Virgin Mary", as she travels by riverboat from Delhi to Agra as part of an imperial procession. The image is accompanied by a two-line caption in Persian that extends from the right-hand side of the page. A contemporary librarian’s attribution, written in red ink in the margin beneath the painting, reads "Tarh Tulsi / Amal Durga," identifying Tulsi the Elder as the designer and Durga as the one responsible for the colouring and details, thereby distinguishing the creator of the composition from the painter of the final folio. Several boats traverse the river, with the central vessel featuring a distinctive two-tier structure draped in curtains. Although the chronicle does not explicitly mention the royal women, their participation in such a journey would have been customary; only one woman is visible, likely the guardian of the women’s quarters, while the others remain concealed within the curtained enclosures of each boat. The central two-tier structure likely housed Akbar's mother, its significance underscored by its extra tier and the red curtains, a colour emblematic of royalty.
The painting addresses a central paradox within Mughal court art: how to visually represent imperial women while honouring the seclusion of the harem. Its solution lies in conveying status through architecture rather than portraiture; the viewer discerns the empress mother's rank through the double tier and the symbolic red curtains rather than through her face, which is deliberately omitted. Consequently, the scene serves less as a portrait of an individual and more as an illustration of hierarchy. It presents an organised flotilla where every boat, curtain, and figure functions to position Hamida Banu Begum at the ceremonial heart of the composition. This folio also contributes to the broader narrative of the Akbarnama. The manuscript's paintings were intended as official state documents, designed to impress with their splendour and to create, uphold, and reinforce imperial traditions, thereby legitimising Akbar's rule and shaping his royal image. Celebrating the mother who bore the title of Mariam Makani furthered this dynastic aim, reflecting the importance Akbar placed on his biological mother and his ritualised devotion to her. The work exemplifies the collaborative nature of Akbar's kitabkhana, or painting workshop, where at least forty-nine artists contributed to the manuscript between roughly 1592 and 1594, working in dynamic teams of designers and colourists.
This folio uses architectural staging rather than portraiture to signal imperial rank — Mariam Makani's presence is conveyed through the two-tier boat and its red curtains rather than her face, making the painting as much a statement about Mughal court hierarchy and dynastic legitimacy as it is a depiction of a river journey.
