A significant portion of the Sana Art Foundation's Southeast African art collection originates from the former Prynnsberg Museum , the privately owned collection acquired by Charles Newberry, during the late 19 th / early 20 th century. The Prynnsberg Museum was housed in the estate of Charles Newberry, located in the small town of Clocolan , in the Free State Province of South Africa, from its conception until the estate was sold in 1996.

Charles Newberry (1841–1922) was born in Brampton , in the County of Huntingtonshire , England . He made the decision to immigrate to South Africa in 1864 to join his older brother John in a carpentry business in Greytown. In 1873 the brothers moved to Kimberley to try their luck at the diamond fields. Through hard work and perseverance, Charles and John were able to accumulate enough holdings to participate in the formation of the Kimberley Central Mining Company, allowing them to withdraw from active mining.

Both Charles and John used profits from the Kimberley diamond mines to invest in land. In the 1890s, Charles alone owned more than 127,000 acres of land in the Thaba Nchu district. Charles began construction on what became the Prynnsberg mansion in 1881. He commenced by making modifications and additions to the existing single story, dressed sandstone structure on a farm. Charles and his wife Elizabeth transformed the plain landscape into a spectacular twenty-room sandstone mansion, under a rock face in the veld, filling it with Victorian antiques, ancient Egyptian treasures and a private museum housing over 300 indigenous works of art from southern Africa.

During the South African war between the Boers and the British troops (1899-1902), Charles moved his family back to his homeland, to live with his brother John in Whyteleafe, Surrey , England , until the conflict was over. During the war, lands were ravaged, farm buildings burned and livestock appropriated or destroyed. Amazingly enough, the Prynnsberg estate was spared.

Edward and Mina Smith had the fortunate opportunity of purchasing the entire southern African art collection from the Prynnsberg Museum in 1995. The Sana Art Foundation's purchase of the Prynnsberg collection, in its entirety, ensured that the collection would remain intact for future generations of scholars, educators, students and the general public.

Charles Newberry (1841-1922), founder of the Prynnsberg Estate and Museu, Clocolan , Free State , South Africa . Photo courtesy of Peter Baasch.