Lord Stirling Chippendale Chest of Drawers

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/25/2023

Massachusetts, 1760-1780, carved mahogany bowfront chest, the underside signed "Earl of Stirling, William Alexander" 33-7/8"h x 39-1/4"w x 21"d Provenance: F.O. Bailey Antiquarians, May 6th, 2000; Property from a Connecticut Gentleman William Alexander (1726-1783) was born in New York City and served in the British army as an aide de-camp to Governor/General William Shirley during the Seven Years' War. Looking to further his social status he left America and pursued a lapsed Scottish earldom. After returning to America Lord Stirling took up the cause of the American colonists during the Revolutionary War. He was appointed a colonel in the New Jersey Continental Army in 1775 and ultimately rose to the rank of Major General. He impressed General George Washington so much that he commissioned him to command one of the five divisions of the Continental Army. He participated in the battle of Long Island and was taken as a prisoner. He was later released in a prisoner exchange in February of 1777 and he rejoined the cause and received the surrender of a regiment of Hessian solders in Trenton. He also participated in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Paulus' Hook and Albany. Prior to the revolution, Lord Stirling was also one of the founders of King's College, now known as Columbia University.