TORRITI, JACOPO. - Painter and mosaicist, who lived in Rome in the late 13th century.
His certified works are: the apse mosaic in the basilica of S. Giovanni in Laterano, signed by him in 1291 together with his assistant Jacopo da Camerino; the mosaic
In the mosaic, which has a tondo in the center, surrounded by a flight of angels, in which the scene of the Coronation of the Virgin unfolds, the golden background is occupied above by the unwinding of acanthus scrolls, while below figures of Saints are lined up. Yet here and there, both in the scrolls and below along the river, images of a marvelous flora and fauna appear. Here too the composition has ties with the art of ancient Roman classicism, recalled by the plastic vigor with which the images are rendered and accented by the varying material of the tesserae. But no less effective in their typology and the dazzling richness of precious tints are the references to Byzantine manners, which appear quite clear even in the iconography of the scenes depicting events from the life of the Virgin located in the band beneath the apse semi-dome. The attributions of other works to T. are not entirely convincing, either in the same basilica of S. Maria Maggiore in Rome (transept tondi), or in the upper basilica of S. Francesco in Assisi, where some compositions in the zones above Giotto's frescoes have been assigned to him. More probable is that of the tondo with the image of the Redeemer placed high on the facade of S. Giovanni in Laterano.