Dora de Pédery-Hunt was a Hungarian-Canadian sculptor who made significant contributions to the Canadian numismatic world. She designed the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the Silver Maple Leaf issued between 1990 and 2002, but that was not the only time Dora worked on the coin.
Background of Dora de Pédery-Hunt
Dora de Pédery-Hunt was born Pédery Dóra in Budapest on November 16, 1913. Her father, Atilla, was a physician, and her mother, Emilie Festl, focused on raising Dora and her two sisters. Dora began studying sculpting at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest when she was 24. She studied under artists like Elek Lux, Béla Ohmann, and József Reményi and earned her Master’s in Sculpture six years later in 1943.
Fleeing European War
One year later, in 1944, German forces began occupying Hungary and Dora’s family left for Helmstedt, Germany to avoid Soviet advances from the east. They settled in Hannover eight months later, where her father found work and immigrated to Canada in 1948. In Toronto, Dora de Pédery-Hunt was sponsored by Major Thomas S. Chutter’s family, whom she lived with as a housekeeper for a year.
Life in Canada
At the end of that year, Dora found work as a high school art teacher, supplementing her income with various artistic side jobs, which included crafting Christmas décor for friends and gift shops. Dora married in 1949, at which time she turned her focus back to sculpting.
After seven years of diligent work at her kitchen table, Dora produced a large artificial stone portrait of fellow sculptor Frances Loring. She entered the portrait in the Canadian National Exhibition, where it drew the eye of Alan Jarvis, the director of the National Gallery of Canada. Jarvis, a trained sculptor himself, noticed the quality of de Pédery-Hunt’s work and facilitated the purchase of her sculpture, which was her first Canadian sculpture sale.
Career as Coin Designer and Medallic Artist
With Alan Jarvis’s encouragement, Dora applied for and received a grant in 1958 to study medals in galleries, museums, and cathedrals throughout Europe. When she returned to Toronto, de Pédery-Hunt began working on medallions. Her first commission was a 1961 medal for excellence in the arts, humanities, and social science. The cast bronze medallion she produced had a 10-centimeter diameter and depicted dance, music, literature, sculpting, and painting.
Dora de Pédery-Hunt was later elected to numerous Canadian arts and sculpture posts and was one of the founding members of the Canadian Portrait Academy and Medallic Arts Society of Canada.
Coins and Medallions Designed by Dora de Pédery-Hunt
Throughout her career, Dora de Pédery-Hunt designed more than 600 medals, in addition to the series of small bronze sculptures she produced to commemorate notable Canadians. Among her medallions are notable works like the 1967 Canadian Centennial Medal and the 1968 300th Anniversary of the Hudson’s Bay Company Medallion.
In 1990, Dora de Pédery-Hunt crafted the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that was used on Canadian coinage. She was the first Canadian artist to design an effigy of a reigning monarch, and her elegant depiction of the Queen became an iconic symbol of Canadian numismatics. British artists Mary Gillick and Arnold Machin designed the two prior Royal Canadian Mint effigies of Queen Elizabeth II.
Dora de Pédery-Hunt Designs on Coins
Dora de Pédery-Hunt’s work includes the list of Canadian coins below.
| Year | Issue |
| 1976 | Montreal Olympics in Silver and Gold |
| 1990-2002 | Silver Maple Leaf |
| 1995 | Peacekeeping Monument Dollar |
| 1998 | 10th Anniversary 10 Ounce Silver Maple |
| 2003 | 5-Coin Hologram Set |
Dora passed away on September 29, 2008, and her contributions to the nation of Canada, the Royal Canadian Mint, and the world of numismatics have left a lasting impact. Her legacy is a testament to her resilience and passion for the arts. Today, her work can be found in more than 70 museums around the planet, including the British Museum and Smithsonian Institute.
