diff --git a/src/lib/Imlib2.h b/src/lib/Imlib2.h
index 10ebbd0..cd27178 100644
--- a/src/lib/Imlib2.h
+++ b/src/lib/Imlib2.h
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ EAPI Imlib_Image    imlib_load_image_immediately(const char *file);
 EAPI Imlib_Image    imlib_load_image_without_cache(const char *file);
 EAPI Imlib_Image    imlib_load_image_immediately_without_cache(const char
                                                                *file);
+EAPI Imlib_Image    imlib_load_image_fd(int fd, const char *file);
 EAPI Imlib_Image    imlib_load_image_with_error_return(const char *file,
                                                        Imlib_Load_Error *
                                                        error_return);
diff --git a/src/lib/api.c b/src/lib/api.c
index e94bebf..2d6a829 100644
--- a/src/lib/api.c
+++ b/src/lib/api.c
@@ -1314,7 +1314,8 @@ imlib_load_image(const char *file)
    CHECK_CONTEXT(ctx);
    CHECK_PARAM_POINTER_RETURN("imlib_load_image", "file", file, NULL);
    prev_ctxt_image = ctx->image;
-   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
+   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, NULL,
+                          (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
                           ctx->progress_granularity, 0, 0, NULL);
    ctx->image = prev_ctxt_image;
    return (Imlib_Image) im;
@@ -1339,7 +1340,8 @@ imlib_load_image_immediately(const char *file)
    CHECK_PARAM_POINTER_RETURN("imlib_load_image_immediately", "file", file,
                               NULL);
    prev_ctxt_image = ctx->image;
-   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
+   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, NULL,
+                          (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
                           ctx->progress_granularity, 1, 0, NULL);
    ctx->image = prev_ctxt_image;
    return (Imlib_Image) im;
@@ -1362,7 +1364,8 @@ imlib_load_image_without_cache(const char *file)
    CHECK_PARAM_POINTER_RETURN("imlib_load_image_without_cache", "file",
                               file, NULL);
    prev_ctxt_image = ctx->image;
-   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
+   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, NULL,
+                          (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
                           ctx->progress_granularity, 0, 1, NULL);
    ctx->image = prev_ctxt_image;
    return (Imlib_Image) im;
@@ -1386,12 +1389,49 @@ imlib_load_image_immediately_without_cache(const char *file)
    CHECK_PARAM_POINTER_RETURN("imlib_load_image_immediately_without_cache",
                               "file", file, NULL);
    prev_ctxt_image = ctx->image;
-   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
+   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, NULL,
+                          (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
                           ctx->progress_granularity, 1, 1, NULL);
    ctx->image = prev_ctxt_image;
    return (Imlib_Image) im;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @param fd Image file descriptor.
+ * @param file Image file.
+ * @return An image handle.
+ *
+ * Loads the image without deferred image data decoding (i.e. it is
+ * decoded straight away) and without looking in the cache. Returns an
+ * image handle on success or NULL on failure.
+ * fd will be closed after calling this function.
+ */
+EAPI                Imlib_Image
+imlib_load_image_fd(int fd, const char *file)
+{
+   Imlib_Image         im = NULL;
+   Imlib_Image         prev_ctxt_image;
+   FILE               *fp;
+
+   CHECK_CONTEXT(ctx);
+   CHECK_PARAM_POINTER_RETURN("imlib_load_image_fd", "file", file, NULL);
+   fp = fdopen(fd, "rb");
+   if (fp)
+     {
+        prev_ctxt_image = ctx->image;
+        im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, fp,
+                               (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
+                               ctx->progress_granularity, 1, 1, NULL);
+        fclose(fp);
+        ctx->image = prev_ctxt_image;
+     }
+   else
+     {
+        close(fd);
+     }
+   return (Imlib_Image) im;
+}
+
 /**
  * @param file Image file.
  * @param error_return The returned error.
@@ -1413,7 +1453,8 @@ imlib_load_image_with_error_return(const char *file,
    CHECK_PARAM_POINTER_RETURN("imlib_load_image_with_error_return", "file",
                               file, NULL);
    prev_ctxt_image = ctx->image;
-   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
+   im = __imlib_LoadImage(file, NULL,
+                          (ImlibProgressFunction) ctx->progress_func,
                           ctx->progress_granularity, 1, 0, &er);
    ctx->image = prev_ctxt_image;
    if (im)
diff --git a/src/lib/file.c b/src/lib/file.c
index 5616859..7dcd219 100644
--- a/src/lib/file.c
+++ b/src/lib/file.c
@@ -167,6 +167,17 @@ __imlib_FileModDate(const char *s)
    return (st.st_mtime > st.st_ctime) ? st.st_mtime : st.st_ctime;
 }
 
+time_t
+__imlib_FileModDateFd(int fd)
+{
+   struct stat         st;
+
+   if (fstat(fd, &st) < 0)
+      return 0;
+
+   return (st.st_mtime > st.st_ctime) ? st.st_mtime : st.st_ctime;
+}
+
 int
 __imlib_FileCanRead(const char *s)
 {
diff --git a/src/lib/file.h b/src/lib/file.h
index 414ef7a..7265d14 100644
--- a/src/lib/file.h
+++ b/src/lib/file.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ int                 __imlib_FileExists(const char *s);
 int                 __imlib_FileIsFile(const char *s);
 int                 __imlib_FileIsDir(const char *s);
 time_t              __imlib_FileModDate(const char *s);
+time_t              __imlib_FileModDateFd(int fd);
 int                 __imlib_FileCanRead(const char *s);
 
 char              **__imlib_FileDir(const char *dir, int *num);
diff --git a/src/lib/image.c b/src/lib/image.c
index 2f343f9..7f3069f 100644
--- a/src/lib/image.c
+++ b/src/lib/image.c
@@ -527,13 +527,14 @@ __imlib_ErrorFromErrno(int err, int save)
 }
 
 static int
-__imlib_FileCheck(const char *file, struct stat *st, ImlibLoadError * er)
+__imlib_FileCheck(const char *file, FILE * fp, struct stat *st,
+                  ImlibLoadError * er)
 {
    int                 err;
 
    err = 0;
 
-   if (__imlib_FileStat(file, st))
+   if (fp ? fstat(fileno(fp), st) : __imlib_FileStat(file, st))
       err = IMLIB_LOAD_ERROR_FILE_DOES_NOT_EXIST;
    else if (__imlib_StatIsDir(st))
       err = IMLIB_LOAD_ERROR_FILE_IS_DIRECTORY;
@@ -660,7 +661,7 @@ __imlib_LoadEmbedded(ImlibLoader * l, ImlibImage * im, const char *file,
 }
 
 ImlibImage         *
-__imlib_LoadImage(const char *file, ImlibProgressFunction progress,
+__imlib_LoadImage(const char *file, FILE * fp, ImlibProgressFunction progress,
                   char progress_granularity, char immediate_load,
                   char dont_cache, ImlibLoadError * er)
 {
@@ -685,7 +686,9 @@ __imlib_LoadImage(const char *file, ImlibProgressFunction progress,
           {
              time_t              current_modified_time;
 
-             current_modified_time = __imlib_FileModDate(im->real_file);
+             current_modified_time = fp ?
+                __imlib_FileModDateFd(fileno(fp)) :
+                __imlib_FileModDate(im->real_file);
              /* if the file on disk is newer than the cached one */
              if (current_modified_time != im->moddate)
                {
@@ -707,7 +710,7 @@ __imlib_LoadImage(const char *file, ImlibProgressFunction progress,
           }
      }
 
-   if (__imlib_FileCheck(file, &st, er))
+   if (__imlib_FileCheck(file, fp, &st, er))
       return NULL;
 
    /* either image in cache is invalid or we dont even have it in cache */
@@ -726,7 +729,11 @@ __imlib_LoadImage(const char *file, ImlibProgressFunction progress,
         im->key = __imlib_FileKey(file);
      }
 
-   im->fp = fopen(im->real_file, "rb");
+   if (fp)
+      im->fp = fp;
+   else
+      im->fp = fopen(im->real_file, "rb");
+
    if (!im->fp)
      {
         if (er)
@@ -795,7 +802,8 @@ __imlib_LoadImage(const char *file, ImlibProgressFunction progress,
 
    im->lc = NULL;
 
-   fclose(im->fp);
+   if (!fp)
+      fclose(im->fp);
    im->fp = NULL;
 
    /* all loaders have been tried and they all failed. free the skeleton */
diff --git a/src/lib/image.h b/src/lib/image.h
index 11e2af1..64ebdb3 100644
--- a/src/lib/image.h
+++ b/src/lib/image.h
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ void                __imlib_LoaderSetFormats(ImlibLoader * l,
                                              unsigned int num);
 
 ImlibImage         *__imlib_CreateImage(int w, int h, DATA32 * data);
-ImlibImage         *__imlib_LoadImage(const char *file,
+ImlibImage         *__imlib_LoadImage(const char *file, FILE * fp,
                                       ImlibProgressFunction progress,
                                       char progress_granularity,
                                       char immediate_load, char dont_cache,