![]() This comes close but that is more about embellishing the truth. ![]() ![]() It does not however cover the description of the underlying motivation of doing something good to only look good. In just a single word it is difficult to find a precise match, I single out "patronage" simply because it encompasses all of the ideals of being outwardly generous while really it returned plenty of quid pro quo and was often used in the fashion which you describe. While it doesnt specifically refer to the callousness of the "altruistic" act, patronage is used to refer to kindness that is very visible and that returns some sort of boon for its patron. Where an altruist would provide food to the poor, a patron would commission a famous artist to paint a pretty picture for their feasting hall. It is something that has generally come to mean altruistic in todays usage but altruism is a separate thing from patronage which would have been seen as a symbol of power, wealth and even apparent kindness. It is a word(s) with a somewhat different meaning these days but historically a patron was someone wealthy who supported the arts or artists.
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