Cultural "Gems" in the Shields Collection

Within the Monmouth College Permanent Art Collections are many exquisite works on a smaller scale. We are delighted to showcase these “gems” from a number of various cultures. Most of the works are from the James Christie Shields Collection (Class of 1949). We hope you enjoy viewing them, now on display in Hewes Library, as much as we enjoy taking care of them in our archives.

Two fine examples of ushabti are pictured below. Ushabti are Egyptian funerary figurines intended to act as servants or minions in the afterlife for the deceased. Oftentimes, they were depicted as farm laborers with a hoe and bushel. Along with scarabs (also on display in the gallery), these are the most common Egyptian artifacts found in collections.

Please visit Gallery 203 on the upper level of Hewes Library during regular daily hours and enjoy viewing these artifacts in person.

Mary E. Phillips
Curator of College Art Collections
March, 2017