Helmet attributed to Ottoman founder surfaces at New York’s Met

BURSA

A historian has called for official recognition after identifying a steel helmet in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection as belonging to Osman Ghazi, the eponymous founder of the Ottoman Empire.

Hakan Yılmaz, a specialist in early modern history, said the helmet bears the ruler’s tughra and a distinctive Kayı tribe emblem, arguing that its authenticity is supported by archival research. He said the artifact could help settle long-running debates over the Ottoman founder’s origins and political status.

According to Yılmaz, the helmet was preserved for centuries among imperial military relics before passing through private collections. It eventually became part of the collection of American collector George Cameron Stone and was donated to the Metropolitan Museum after his death in 1935.

Calling on Turkish authorities to act, Yılmaz urged the government to accelerate efforts to repatriate the helmet, along with an Ottoman coin in Qatar and a genealogical document in Paris.

He suggested the helmet could be displayed at Topkapı Palace alongside other Ottoman relics, exhibited at the Military Museum with the helmet of Orhan Ghazi, or become part of a new museum in Bursa dedicated to the empire’s early history.