circa 1936

Circa 1989

On his way to Munich for the exhibition ‘Constant Kreidezeichnungen 1945-52’ in Gallery van de Loo, Constant makes a stop in Stuttgart. At the Stuttgart State Gallery, he sees the Herrenberg Altarpiece by the German Renaissance painter Jerg Ratgeb. The altarpiece consists of eight panels that show 24 scenes from the Passion story, from the life of Mary and from the Acts of the Apostles.

Ratgeb's idiosyncratic and expressive style of painting was, for a long time, little appreciated. Constant, however, must have also respected the German artist for his social commitment. During the German Peasants' War in 1525, Ratgeb became part of the military contingent requested by the rebels and was elected councilor and chancellor by the peasants. After the suppression of the rebellion, he was arrested, accused of high treason and finally executed in Pforzheim. In 1526 he was quartered by four horses.

In 1975 Constant copied a scene from one of the eight panels: the Circumcision of Christ as a tribute to Ratgeb.