My father used to speak of the spirit of Laukko. It was a term he used to express the history that pervades every corner of the estate combined with the peace and beauty of life amid the lakes. It is difficult to describe the great privilege of being able to grow up in such an environment.

 

When I was little, I used to wander round the portrait gallery at Laukko, wondering at the human fates concealed behind those paintings. Today, with a newly-acquired doctorate in cultural history in my pocket, I greet the Kurcks and kings in the gallery as if they were old friends.

 

Above all I have always been most interested in history by people, not so much structures or statistics. The most fascinating thing has been trying to understand how people before me lived and thought on the shores of this same lake.

 

My doctoral dissertation in cultural history examined life at Laukko in the 17th century, when the estate was owned by an aristocrat, Gabriel Kurck, whose life was coloured by many great adventures. I obtained my doctorate from the University of Turku in spring 2007. My dissertation, “A Noble Life. The Cultural Biography of Gabriel Kurck (1630-1712)” won the dissertation prize of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and was published in the Academy’s Humaniora series (2007).

 

My childhood home and my academic years come full circle in the first publication of Laukko Historicum – the biography of the “Lord of Laukko”, Gabriel Kurck. A cookbook entitled “In the Laukko Manor Kitchen” written jointly by my mother, Leena, and myself will be released at the official opening.

 

The older decorative arts and interiors are my special field of art history. At around the turn of the millennium I added to my knowledge of antiques while studying at Sotheby’s institute and auction house in London. I then had a fine opportunity to share what I had learnt about the history of European interior art in the publications series “Suomen antiikkiesineet” (Finnish Antiques, 2005).