diff --git a/app/core/gimp-memsize.c b/app/core/gimp-memsize.c
index a45b890d99..2c0af86425 100644
--- a/app/core/gimp-memsize.c
+++ b/app/core/gimp-memsize.c
@@ -275,6 +275,8 @@ gimp_g_value_get_memsize (GValue *value)
     {
       if (strcmp ("GimpPattern", G_VALUE_TYPE_NAME (value)) == 0)
         memsize += gimp_g_object_get_memsize (g_value_get_object (value));
+      else if (strcmp ("GimpFont", G_VALUE_TYPE_NAME (value)) == 0)
+        memsize += gimp_g_object_get_memsize (g_value_get_object (value));
       else
         g_printerr ("%s: unhandled object value type: %s\n",
                     G_STRFUNC, G_VALUE_TYPE_NAME (value));
diff --git a/app/pdb/text-layer-cmds.c b/app/pdb/text-layer-cmds.c
index a50592b9ee..28bb6c31ca 100644
--- a/app/pdb/text-layer-cmds.c
+++ b/app/pdb/text-layer-cmds.c
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include "core/gimpcontext.h"
 #include "core/gimpimage.h"
 #include "core/gimpparamspecs.h"
+#include "text/gimpfont.h"
 #include "text/gimptext.h"
 #include "text/gimptextlayer.h"
 
@@ -260,9 +261,13 @@ text_layer_get_font_invoker (GimpProcedure         *procedure,
 
   if (success)
     {
+      GimpFont *font_obj;
+
       g_object_get (gimp_text_layer_get_text (layer),
-                    "font", &font,
+                    "font", &font_obj,
                     NULL);
+      font = g_strdup (gimp_font_get_lookup_name (font_obj));
+      g_object_unref (font_obj);
     }
 
   return_vals = gimp_procedure_get_return_values (procedure, success,
diff --git a/app/text/gimpfont.c b/app/text/gimpfont.c
index 0571308afa..1f27c975a1 100644
--- a/app/text/gimpfont.c
+++ b/app/text/gimpfont.c
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@
 
 #include "core/gimptempbuf.h"
 
+#include "core/gimp-memsize.h"
+
 #include "gimpfont.h"
 
 #include "gimp-intl.h"
@@ -106,6 +108,8 @@ static GimpTempBuf * gimp_font_get_new_preview  (GimpViewable  *viewable,
 static const gchar * gimp_font_get_sample_string (PangoContext         *context,
                                                   PangoFontDescription *font_desc);
 
+static gint64        gimp_font_get_memsize        (GimpObject           *object,
+                                                   gint64               *gui_size);
 
 G_DEFINE_TYPE (GimpFont, gimp_font, GIMP_TYPE_DATA)
 
@@ -122,7 +126,7 @@ gboolean
 gimp_font_match_by_lookup_name (GimpFont    *font,
                                 const gchar *name)
 {
-  return !g_strcmp0 (gimp_font_get_lookup_name (font), name);
+  return !g_strcmp0 (font->lookup_name, name);
 }
 
 const gchar*
@@ -134,11 +138,13 @@ gimp_font_get_lookup_name (GimpFont *font)
 static void
 gimp_font_class_init (GimpFontClass *klass)
 {
-  GObjectClass      *object_class   = G_OBJECT_CLASS (klass);
-  GimpViewableClass *viewable_class = GIMP_VIEWABLE_CLASS (klass);
+  GObjectClass      *object_class      = G_OBJECT_CLASS (klass);
+  GimpViewableClass *viewable_class    = GIMP_VIEWABLE_CLASS (klass);
+  GimpObjectClass   *gimp_object_class = GIMP_OBJECT_CLASS (klass);
 
   object_class->finalize            = gimp_font_finalize;
   object_class->set_property        = gimp_font_set_property;
+  gimp_object_class->get_memsize    = gimp_font_get_memsize;
 
   viewable_class->get_preview_size  = gimp_font_get_preview_size;
   viewable_class->get_popup_size    = gimp_font_get_popup_size;
@@ -192,6 +198,19 @@ gimp_font_set_property (GObject       *object,
     }
 }
 
+static gint64
+gimp_font_get_memsize (GimpObject *object,
+                       gint64     *gui_size)
+{
+  GimpFont *font    = GIMP_FONT (object);
+  gint64    memsize = 0;
+
+  memsize += gimp_string_get_memsize (font->lookup_name);
+
+  return memsize + GIMP_OBJECT_CLASS (parent_class)->get_memsize (object,
+                                                                  gui_size);
+}
+
 static void
 gimp_font_get_preview_size (GimpViewable *viewable,
                             gint          size,
@@ -221,7 +240,7 @@ gimp_font_get_popup_size (GimpViewable *viewable,
   if (! font->pango_context)
     return FALSE;
 
-  name = gimp_font_get_lookup_name (font);
+  name = font->lookup_name;
 
   font_desc = pango_font_description_from_string (name);
   g_return_val_if_fail (font_desc != NULL, FALSE);
@@ -276,7 +295,7 @@ gimp_font_get_new_preview (GimpViewable *viewable,
       PangoFontDescription *font_desc;
       const gchar          *name;
 
-      name = gimp_font_get_lookup_name (font);
+      name = font->lookup_name;
 
       DEBUGPRINT (("%s: ", name));
 
diff --git a/app/text/gimptext.c b/app/text/gimptext.c
index 87456fec06..26c5fdb4aa 100644
--- a/app/text/gimptext.c
+++ b/app/text/gimptext.c
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
 
 #include "text-types.h"
 
+#include "gimpfont.h"
+
 #include "core/gimp.h"
 #include "core/gimp-memsize.h"
 #include "core/gimp-utils.h"
@@ -176,11 +178,9 @@ gimp_text_class_init (GimpTextClass *klass)
                            NULL,
                            GIMP_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
 
-  GIMP_CONFIG_PROP_STRING (object_class, PROP_FONT,
-                           "font",
-                           NULL, NULL,
-                           "Sans-serif",
-                           GIMP_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
+  GIMP_CONFIG_PROP_FONT (object_class, PROP_FONT,
+                         "font", NULL, NULL,
+                         GIMP_CONFIG_PARAM_FLAGS);
 
   GIMP_CONFIG_PROP_DOUBLE (object_class, PROP_FONT_SIZE,
                            "font-size",
@@ -415,8 +415,8 @@ gimp_text_finalize (GObject *object)
 
   g_clear_pointer (&text->text,     g_free);
   g_clear_pointer (&text->markup,   g_free);
-  g_clear_pointer (&text->font,     g_free);
   g_clear_pointer (&text->language, g_free);
+  g_clear_object (&text->font);
 
   G_OBJECT_CLASS (parent_class)->finalize (object);
 }
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ gimp_text_get_property (GObject      *object,
       g_value_set_string (value, text->markup);
       break;
     case PROP_FONT:
-      g_value_set_string (value, text->font);
+      g_value_set_object (value, text->font);
       break;
     case PROP_FONT_SIZE:
       g_value_set_double (value, text->font_size);
@@ -580,23 +580,10 @@ gimp_text_set_property (GObject      *object,
       break;
     case PROP_FONT:
       {
-        const gchar *font = g_value_get_string (value);
+        GimpFont *font = g_value_get_object (value);
 
-        g_free (text->font);
-
-        if (font)
-          {
-            gsize len = strlen (font);
-
-            if (g_str_has_suffix (font, " Not-Rotated"))
-              len -= strlen ( " Not-Rotated");
-
-            text->font = g_strndup (font, len);
-          }
-        else
-          {
-            text->font = NULL;
-          }
+        if (font != text->font)
+          g_set_object (&text->font, font);
       }
       break;
     case PROP_FONT_SIZE:
@@ -748,7 +735,6 @@ gimp_text_get_memsize (GimpObject *object,
 
   memsize += gimp_string_get_memsize (text->text);
   memsize += gimp_string_get_memsize (text->markup);
-  memsize += gimp_string_get_memsize (text->font);
   memsize += gimp_string_get_memsize (text->language);
 
   return memsize + GIMP_OBJECT_CLASS (parent_class)->get_memsize (object,
diff --git a/app/text/gimptext.h b/app/text/gimptext.h
index d06b4494a9..6b6434edd1 100644
--- a/app/text/gimptext.h
+++ b/app/text/gimptext.h
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ struct _GimpText
 
   gchar                 *text;
   gchar                 *markup;
-  gchar                 *font;
+  GimpFont              *font;
   GimpUnit               unit;
   gdouble                font_size;
   gboolean               antialias;
diff --git a/app/text/gimptextlayout.c b/app/text/gimptextlayout.c
index 93082e1c32..50cd670d8d 100644
--- a/app/text/gimptextlayout.c
+++ b/app/text/gimptextlayout.c
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
 
 #include "core/gimperror.h"
 
+#include "gimpfont.h"
+
 #include "gimptext.h"
 #include "gimptextlayout.h"
 
@@ -116,7 +118,7 @@ gimp_text_layout_new (GimpText  *text,
 
   g_return_val_if_fail (GIMP_IS_TEXT (text), NULL);
 
-  font_desc = pango_font_description_from_string (text->font);
+  font_desc = pango_font_description_from_string (gimp_font_get_lookup_name (text->font));
   g_return_val_if_fail (font_desc != NULL, NULL);
 
   size = pango_units_from_double (gimp_units_to_points (text->font_size,
diff --git a/app/tools/gimptextoptions.c b/app/tools/gimptextoptions.c
index fc5450f890..118a7f6648 100644
--- a/app/tools/gimptextoptions.c
+++ b/app/tools/gimptextoptions.c
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@
 
 #include "text/gimptext.h"
 
+#include "text/gimpfont.h"
+
 #include "widgets/gimpcolorpanel.h"
 #include "widgets/gimpmenufactory.h"
 #include "widgets/gimppropwidgets.h"
@@ -648,11 +650,14 @@ gimp_text_options_notify_font (GimpContext *context,
                                GParamSpec  *pspec,
                                GimpText    *text)
 {
+  if (gimp_context_get_font (context) == text->font)
+    return;
+
   g_signal_handlers_block_by_func (text,
                                    gimp_text_options_notify_text_font,
                                    context);
 
-  g_object_set (text, "font", gimp_context_get_font_name (context), NULL);
+  g_object_set (text, "font", gimp_context_get_font (context), NULL);
 
   g_signal_handlers_unblock_by_func (text,
                                      gimp_text_options_notify_text_font,
@@ -667,7 +672,7 @@ gimp_text_options_notify_text_font (GimpText    *text,
   g_signal_handlers_block_by_func (context,
                                    gimp_text_options_notify_font, text);
 
-  gimp_context_set_font_name (context, text->font);
+  gimp_context_set_font (context, text->font);
 
   g_signal_handlers_unblock_by_func (context,
                                      gimp_text_options_notify_font, text);
@@ -728,7 +733,7 @@ gimp_text_options_connect_text (GimpTextOptions *options,
 
   g_object_set (text,
                 "color", &color,
-                "font",  gimp_context_get_font_name (context),
+                "font",  gimp_context_get_font (context),
                 NULL);
 
   gimp_config_connect (G_OBJECT (options), G_OBJECT (text), NULL);
diff --git a/app/widgets/gimptextstyleeditor.c b/app/widgets/gimptextstyleeditor.c
index a835a61da1..68062227b1 100644
--- a/app/widgets/gimptextstyleeditor.c
+++ b/app/widgets/gimptextstyleeditor.c
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ gimp_text_style_editor_set_default_font (GimpTextStyleEditor *editor)
                                    gimp_text_style_editor_font_changed,
                                    editor);
 
-  gimp_context_set_font_name (editor->context, editor->text->font);
+  gimp_context_set_font (editor->context, editor->text->font);
 
   g_signal_handlers_unblock_by_func (editor->context,
                                      gimp_text_style_editor_font_changed,
diff --git a/libgimpconfig/gimpconfig-params.h b/libgimpconfig/gimpconfig-params.h
index ed1df75600..87e2d98b93 100644
--- a/libgimpconfig/gimpconfig-params.h
+++ b/libgimpconfig/gimpconfig-params.h
@@ -182,6 +182,11 @@ G_BEGIN_DECLS
                                    default,\
                                    flags | GIMP_CONFIG_PARAM_FLAGS))
 
+#define GIMP_CONFIG_PROP_FONT(class, id, name, nick, blurb, flags) \
+  g_object_class_install_property (class, id,\
+                                   g_param_spec_object (name, nick, blurb,\
+                                   GIMP_TYPE_FONT,\
+                                   flags | GIMP_CONFIG_PARAM_FLAGS))
 
 /*  object, boxed and pointer properties are _not_ G_PARAM_CONSTRUCT  */
 
diff --git a/pdb/groups/text_layer.pdb b/pdb/groups/text_layer.pdb
index 37209315d7..eaa98accee 100644
--- a/pdb/groups/text_layer.pdb
+++ b/pdb/groups/text_layer.pdb
@@ -249,9 +249,13 @@ HELP
     %invoke = (
         code => <<'CODE'
 {
+  GimpFont *font_obj;
+
   g_object_get (gimp_text_layer_get_text (layer),
-                "font", &font,
+                "font", &font_obj,
                 NULL);
+  font = g_strdup (gimp_font_get_lookup_name (font_obj));
+  g_object_unref (font_obj);
 }
 CODE
     );
@@ -990,6 +994,7 @@ CODE
 @headers = qw(<pango/pango.h>
               "libgimpbase/gimpbase.h"
               "core/gimpcontext.h"
+              "text/gimpfont.h"
               "text/gimptext.h"
               "text/gimptextlayer.h"
               "gimppdb-utils.h"