Portrait de Norodom Yukanthor

Eau-forte exécutée en 1901 par Evert Van Muyden sur papier vergé

Dimensions toute la feuille 26,5x17,5 centimètres

Dimensions au coup de planche 13,5x10 centimètres

Document authentique et original du XXe siècle 

Jacob Evert Louis van Muyden dit aussi Everet Louis von Muyden (1853-1922) est un graveur suisse, également peintre, aquarelliste et illustrateur.

Prince Norodom Arun Yukanthor (en khmer : នរោត្តម អរុណយុគន្ធរ, 1860 - 27 juin 1934) est le fils aîné du roi Norodom Ier du Cambodge. Le prince Yukanthor est né en 1860 de l'une des épouses de son père Norodom 1er. Il a grandi au Palais Royal de Phnom Penh en tant que fils aîné, dans un pays sous protectorat français. En 1899, son père est invité par la France à assister à l'Exposition Universelle de 1900. Fatigué et malade, il a 66 ans, il mandate son fils Yukanthor pour y assister à sa place et profiter de l'occasion d'aller en France pour exposer au gouvernement français les griefs envers ses représentants dans son royaume. Ce fils aîné est présenté comme le futur héritier de la couronne dans le mandat écrit par son père ce qui lui donnait une certaine autorité. Mais ses récriminations ne plurent pas aux différents ministres qu'il rencontra à Paris malgré la présence du journaliste Jean Hess du Figaro qui l'assistait en tant qu'ami de la famille Norodom.

Prince Norodom Arun Yukanthor (Khmer: នរោត្តម អរុណយុគន្ធរ, 1860 – 27 June 1934) was the eldest son of King Norodom of Cambodia. Prince Yukanthor was born in 1860 (some sources say he was born in 1858) to either Preah Neang Brah Nan or Tep Soda Chan. He grew up in the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh as the oldest son of King Norodom, in a country more or less under French rule. A treaty signed 1863 between King Norodom and the French Admiral De La Grandiere made Cambodia its protectorate. But Norodom claimed that the French Admiral de la Grandière had forced him into signing the treaty. In 1872, Yukanthor was made to cut his hair and become a monk. During 1884 the French started to lack resources to continue their colonization of Cambodia, and through administrative reforms they took control of financing resources like tax and likewise. Yukanthor got into a spat with Frenchman Lt. Radisson, who was accused of stealing one of Yukanthor's concubines, who was sold to the Prince by his father who was in a gambling debt. Yukanthor, who was critical of French colonial rule in Cambodia due to the emergence of the new Cambodian middle class that the Royal Family was afraid would take power from them, sent a long memorandum to the French prime minister, campaign of publicity tour and when he visited France in 1900, he met the French journalist Jean Hess. Yukanthor was sent by his father, who was still upset about his blackmailing at the 1884 Thomson Convention. On 11 July 1897, the King was also deprived of his gambling profits, and the royal family had an alliance with French anti-imperialist radicals. Yukanthor became an influential figure in Parisian society, where he was invited to many parties and dinners in which he expressed his views on French colonialism, even having to flee to Brussels at one point.[1] This became known as the Yukanthor Affair. During an interview with Hess, Yukanthor spoke about the French government and the French public, and the colonial domination of his country, published in Le Figaro newspaper, and the article spread the news of the affair. Yukanthor was made fun of by the French for being a small and dark-skinned man (158cm tall), with a small head.