signed, dated and inscribed ‘Eduard Houbolt/ fecit. ad. vivum/ 10. Juni. 1947/ . IRIS
NUMERATA. (recto) and ‘fig. 2./ 1/2/ Vos […] verso/ k 4689/3’ (verso)
pastel, watermark ‘G Schut & Zonen’
22 x 24.9 cm

Eduard Houbolt was born in Hof van Delft (know part of Delft) in 1885. [1] While he
sojourned in France and Belgium from 1925-1926 (Paris and Bruge) and in 1939 (Antwerp
and Lier), the artist settled in The Hague in 1939 where he worked until his death in 1955.
Houbolt was a member of the ‘Haagse Schetsclub’ and the ‘Nederlandse Kunstkring’ and
according P.A. Scheen he was particularly celebrated for his topographical views of Delft,
Rijswijk and The Hague. [2] The artist trained at the Akedemie voor Beeldende Kunsten in
The Hague from 1905-1908 and a self-portrait from 1909, the first year that he was an
independent artist, is in the Museum Prinsenhof, Delft. [3]

Drawn with softly applied pastel, this drawing stands out for its gripping realism and its
immediate impact on its viewer. While the skin is quickly drawn with parallel strokes, the
eye lashes and iris are executed with minute precision. The inscription ‘ad. vivum’ on the
recto of the sheet, seems to suggest that the depicted eye is that of the artist himself. Why
there is a number ‘2’ in the iris and the drawing is titled ‘Iris Numerata’, remains unclear.
The present drawing brings Maurits Cornelis Escher’s drawing of his own eye to mind. [4]
That drawing, which was executed in September 1946 – just nine months before Houbolt
executed this drawing –, served as a study for a mezzotint which was made in October
1946. [5] While it is not known whether Houbolt knew Escher’s mezzotint, one wonders
whether it could have served as a source of inspiration.

[1] P.A. Scheen, 'Lexikon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750-1950', A-L, The Hague, 1969, p.
515.
[2] P.A. Scheen, 'op. cit.', p. 515.
[3] inv. PDS 297.
[4] See: https://escherinhetpaleis.nl/over-escher/escher-vandaag/oog [accessed 12 June 2025].
[5] F.H. Bool et al., 'Leven en werk van M.C. Escher, Het levensverhaal van de graficus. Met een
volledig geïllustreerde catalogus van zijn wer'k, Amsterdam, 1981, no. 344, ill., pp. 290-291.