Purity of Heart

Purity of Heart, painted in 1752 and held at a National Trust property, is a devotional or allegorical work that likely personifies moral virtue as a female figure — a subject type that Batoni produced alongside the mythological portraits that dominated his output. The National Trust holding suggests this work formed part of a British aristocratic house's collection, likely acquired as a companion to other allegorical or mythological Batoni works during the same Roman visit. Purity of heart as a concept has deep roots in Catholic devotional literature, particularly in the Beatitudes, and its allegorical personification would combine innocence with visual elegance. Batoni produced several such devotional allegories in the early 1750s, balancing his sacred and portrait commissions with smaller cabinet works.

Oil on canvas likely in a smaller format than the grand portrait commissions — cabinet-scale works suited for private devotional display. The personification would be rendered as a young woman in white or pale drapery, possibly holding a lily or dove as emblems of spiritual purity. Batoni's luminous skin tones and soft background create an atmosphere of elevated calm.