diff --git a/src/Gui/Application.h b/src/Gui/Application.h
index be1664ea06..29f279f37b 100644
--- a/src/Gui/Application.h
+++ b/src/Gui/Application.h
@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@ public:
     static PyObject* sAddIconPath              (PyObject *self,PyObject *args); // adds a path to an icon file
     static PyObject* sAddIcon                  (PyObject *self,PyObject *args); // adds an icon to the cache
     static PyObject* sGetIcon                  (PyObject *self,PyObject *args); // get an icon from the cache
+    static PyObject* sIsIconCached             (PyObject *self,PyObject *args); // check if an icon is cached
 
     static PyObject* sSendActiveView           (PyObject *self,PyObject *args);
     static PyObject* sSendFocusView            (PyObject *self,PyObject *args);
diff --git a/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp b/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp
index 6f0f1729aa..4c8162a9f6 100644
--- a/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp
+++ b/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp
@@ -102,8 +102,11 @@ PyMethodDef Application::Methods[] = {
    "addIcon(string, string or list) -> None\n\n"
    "Add an icon as file name or in XPM format to the system"},
   {"getIcon",                 (PyCFunction) Application::sGetIcon, METH_VARARGS,
-   "getIcon(string -> QIcon\n\n"
+   "getIcon(string) -> QIcon\n\n"
    "Get an icon in the system"},
+  {"isIconCached",           (PyCFunction) Application::sIsIconCached, METH_VARARGS,
+   "isIconCached(String) -> Bool\n\n"
+   "Check if an icon with the given name is cached"},
   {"getMainWindow",           (PyCFunction) Application::sGetMainWindow, METH_VARARGS,
    "getMainWindow() -> QMainWindow\n\n"
    "Return the main window instance"},
@@ -1062,9 +1065,11 @@ PyObject* Application::sAddIconPath(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args)
 
 PyObject* Application::sAddIcon(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args)
 {
-    char *iconName;
-    char *pixmap;
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "ss", &iconName,&pixmap))
+    const char *iconName;
+    const char *content;
+    Py_ssize_t size = 0;
+    const char *format = "XPM";
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "ss#|s", &iconName,&content,&size,&format))
         return NULL;
     
     QPixmap icon;
@@ -1073,16 +1078,11 @@ PyObject* Application::sAddIcon(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args)
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    QByteArray ary;
-    std::string content = pixmap;
-    int strlen = (int)content.size();
-    ary.resize(strlen);
-    for (int j=0; j<strlen; j++)
-        ary[j]=content[j];
-    icon.loadFromData(ary, "XPM");
+    QByteArray ary(content,size);
+    icon.loadFromData(ary, format);
 
     if (icon.isNull()){
-        QString file = QString::fromUtf8(pixmap);
+        QString file = QString::fromUtf8(content);
         icon.load(file);
     }
 
@@ -1112,6 +1112,16 @@ PyObject* Application::sGetIcon(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args)
     Py_Return;
 }
 
+PyObject* Application::sIsIconCached(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args)
+{
+    char *iconName;
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s", &iconName))
+        return NULL;
+    
+    QPixmap icon;
+    return Py::new_reference_to(Py::Boolean(BitmapFactory().findPixmapInCache(iconName, icon)));
+}
+
 PyObject* Application::sAddCommand(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args)
 {
     char*       pName;
diff --git a/src/Gui/ViewProviderPythonFeature.cpp b/src/Gui/ViewProviderPythonFeature.cpp
index 89446563fd..67864f7b48 100644
--- a/src/Gui/ViewProviderPythonFeature.cpp
+++ b/src/Gui/ViewProviderPythonFeature.cpp
@@ -327,40 +327,45 @@ QIcon ViewProviderPythonFeatureImp::getIcon() const
         if(ret.isNone())
             return QIcon();
 
-        PythonWrapper wrap;
-        wrap.loadGuiModule();
-        wrap.loadWidgetsModule();
-        QIcon *picon = wrap.toQIcon(ret.ptr());
-        if(picon) 
-            return *picon;
+        if(ret.isString()) {
+            std::string content = Py::String(ret).as_std_string("utf-8");
+            QPixmap icon;
+            if (BitmapFactory().findPixmapInCache(content.c_str(), icon))
+                return icon;
 
-        std::string content = Py::String(ret).as_std_string("utf-8");
-        QPixmap icon;
-        // Check if the passed string is a filename, otherwise treat as xpm data
-        QFileInfo fi(QString::fromUtf8(content.c_str()));
-        if (fi.isFile() && fi.exists()) {
-            icon.load(fi.absoluteFilePath());
-        } else {
-            QByteArray ary;
-            int strlen = (int)content.size();
-            ary.resize(strlen);
-            for (int j=0; j<strlen; j++)
-                ary[j]=content[j];
-            // Make sure to remove crap around the XPM data
-            QList<QByteArray> lines = ary.split('\n');
-            QByteArray buffer;
-            buffer.reserve(ary.size()+lines.size());
-            for (QList<QByteArray>::iterator it = lines.begin(); it != lines.end(); ++it) {
-                QByteArray trim = it->trimmed();
-                if (!trim.isEmpty()) {
-                    buffer.append(trim);
-                    buffer.append('\n');
+            // Check if the passed string is a filename, otherwise treat as xpm data
+            QFileInfo fi(QString::fromUtf8(content.c_str()));
+            if (fi.isFile() && fi.exists()) {
+                icon.load(fi.absoluteFilePath());
+            } else {
+                QByteArray ary;
+                int strlen = (int)content.size();
+                ary.resize(strlen);
+                for (int j=0; j<strlen; j++)
+                    ary[j]=content[j];
+                // Make sure to remove crap around the XPM data
+                QList<QByteArray> lines = ary.split('\n');
+                QByteArray buffer;
+                buffer.reserve(ary.size()+lines.size());
+                for (QList<QByteArray>::iterator it = lines.begin(); it != lines.end(); ++it) {
+                    QByteArray trim = it->trimmed();
+                    if (!trim.isEmpty()) {
+                        buffer.append(trim);
+                        buffer.append('\n');
+                    }
                 }
+                icon.loadFromData(buffer, "XPM");
             }
-            icon.loadFromData(buffer, "XPM");
-        }
-        if (!icon.isNull()) {
-            return icon;
+            if (!icon.isNull()) {
+                return icon;
+            }
+        } else {
+            PythonWrapper wrap;
+            wrap.loadGuiModule();
+            wrap.loadWidgetsModule();
+            QIcon *picon = wrap.toQIcon(ret.ptr());
+            if(picon) 
+                return *picon;
         }
     }
     catch (Py::Exception&) {