diff --git a/src/App/PropertyContainerPy.xml b/src/App/PropertyContainerPy.xml
index a1d79a8108..fbccd25258 100644
--- a/src/App/PropertyContainerPy.xml
+++ b/src/App/PropertyContainerPy.xml
@@ -16,7 +16,18 @@
     </Documentation>
     <Methode Name="getPropertyByName">
       <Documentation>
-        <UserDocu>Return the value of a named property.</UserDocu>
+        <UserDocu>
+getPropertyByName(name,checkOwner=0)
+
+Return the value of a named property. Note that the returned property may not
+always belong to this container (e.g. from a linked object).
+
+* name: name of the property
+* checkOwner:  0: just return the property
+               1: raise exception if not found or the property 
+                  does not belong to this container
+               2: return a tuple(owner,property_value)
+        </UserDocu>
       </Documentation>
     </Methode>
     <Methode Name="getPropertyTouchList">
diff --git a/src/App/PropertyContainerPyImp.cpp b/src/App/PropertyContainerPyImp.cpp
index a9c2b8ad9b..488abc52dd 100644
--- a/src/App/PropertyContainerPyImp.cpp
+++ b/src/App/PropertyContainerPyImp.cpp
@@ -54,16 +54,19 @@ std::string PropertyContainerPy::representation(void) const
 PyObject*  PropertyContainerPy::getPropertyByName(PyObject *args)
 {
     char *pstr;
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s", &pstr))     // convert args: Python->C
+    int checkOwner=0;
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s|i", &pstr, &checkOwner))     // convert args: Python->C
         return NULL;                             // NULL triggers exception
     App::Property* prop = getPropertyContainerPtr()->getPropertyByName(pstr);
     if (prop) {
-        return prop->getPyObject();
-    }
-    else {
-        PyErr_Format(PyExc_AttributeError, "Property container has no property '%s'", pstr);
-        return NULL;
+        if(!checkOwner || (checkOwner==1 && prop->getContainer()==getPropertyContainerPtr()))
+            return prop->getPyObject();
+        Py::TupleN res(Py::asObject(prop->getContainer()->getPyObject()),
+                       Py::asObject(prop->getPyObject()));
+        return Py::new_reference_to(res);
     }
+    PyErr_Format(PyExc_AttributeError, "Property container has no property '%s'", pstr);
+    return NULL;
 }
 
 PyObject*  PropertyContainerPy::getPropertyTouchList(PyObject *args)