diff --git a/Headers/opal/OpalSurface.h b/Headers/opal/OpalSurface.h
index 1e6e104..4e57425 100644
--- a/Headers/opal/OpalSurface.h
+++ b/Headers/opal/OpalSurface.h
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
   CGContextRef _x11CGContext;
 }
 
-- (id) initWithDevice: (void *)device;
+- (id) initWithDevice: (void *)device context: (CGContextRef)ctx;
 - (void *)device;
 - (CGContextRef) CGContext;
 - (NSSize) size;
diff --git a/Source/opal/OpalContext.m b/Source/opal/OpalContext.m
index e77a03c..74983e2 100644
--- a/Source/opal/OpalContext.m
+++ b/Source/opal/OpalContext.m
@@ -167,8 +167,20 @@
                     : (int)y
 {
   OpalSurface *surface;
-
-  surface = [[OpalSurface alloc] initWithDevice: device];
+  
+  /*
+   * The "graphics port" associated to an OpalContext is necessarily a
+   * CGContextRef supplied by the client to back the OpalContext, instead
+   * of having us create the CGContextRef ourselves.
+   *
+   * Since -graphicsPort is overriden from NSGraphicsContext to compute the
+   * CGContextRef for an OpalSurface (which is not initialized yet), we
+   * get the _graphicsPort ivar directly to obtain the supplied CGContextRef
+   * on initialization, and use that to init our surface.
+   */
+  CGContextRef suppliedContext = self->_graphicsPort;
+  surface = [[OpalSurface alloc] initWithDevice: device
+                                        context: suppliedContext];
 
   [OGSTATE GSSetSurface: surface
                        : x
diff --git a/Source/opal/OpalSurface.m b/Source/opal/OpalSurface.m
index c49d8d1..13df6df 100644
--- a/Source/opal/OpalSurface.m
+++ b/Source/opal/OpalSurface.m
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ static CGContextRef createCGBitmapContext(int pixelsWide,
 
 @implementation OpalSurface
 
-- (void) createCGContexts
+- (void) createCGContextsWithSuppliedBackingContext: (CGContextRef)ctx
 {
   // FIXME: this method and class presumes we are being passed
   // a window device.
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ static CGContextRef createCGBitmapContext(int pixelsWide,
   Display * display = _gsWindowDevice->display;
   Window window = _gsWindowDevice->ident;
 
-  _x11CGContext = OPX11ContextCreate(display, window);
+  _x11CGContext = ctx ?: OPX11ContextCreate(display, window);
 
 #if 0
   if (_gsWindowDevice->type == NSBackingStoreNonretained)
@@ -114,7 +114,9 @@ static CGContextRef createCGBitmapContext(int pixelsWide,
 
 }
 
-- (id) initWithDevice: (void *)device
+// FIXME: *VERY* bad things will happen if a non-bitmap
+// context is passed here.
+- (id) initWithDevice: (void *)device context: (CGContextRef)ctx
 {
   self = [super init];
   if (!self)
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ static CGContextRef createCGBitmapContext(int pixelsWide,
   // a window device.
   _gsWindowDevice = (gswindow_device_t *) device;
 
-  [self createCGContexts];
+  [self createCGContextsWithSuppliedBackingContext: ctx];
 
   return self;
 }