diff --git a/include/wx/dataview.h b/include/wx/dataview.h
index fd2ec0b4d7..8be8ad3dfd 100644
--- a/include/wx/dataview.h
+++ b/include/wx/dataview.h
@@ -166,6 +166,8 @@ public:
     bool GetBold() const { return m_bold; }
     bool GetItalic() const { return m_italic; }
 
+    bool IsDefault() const { return !(HasColour() || HasFont()); }
+
 private:
     wxColour m_colour;
     bool     m_bold;
diff --git a/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderer.h b/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderer.h
index e019c00883..72f1d4a106 100644
--- a/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderer.h
+++ b/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderer.h
@@ -58,6 +58,14 @@ public:
     // for details
     virtual bool GtkSupportsAttrs() const { return false; }
 
+    // if GtkSupportsAttrs() returns true, this function will be called to
+    // effectively set the attribute to use for rendering the next item
+    //
+    // it should return true if the attribute had any non-default properties
+    virtual bool GtkSetAttr(const wxDataViewItemAttr& WXUNUSED(attr))
+        { return false; }
+
+
     // these functions are only called if GtkSupportsAttrs() returns true and
     // are used to remember whether the renderer currently uses the default
     // attributes or if we changed (and not reset them)
diff --git a/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderers.h b/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderers.h
index 9b3ac57e65..b22ef67eea 100644
--- a/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderers.h
+++ b/include/wx/gtk/dvrenderers.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #define _WX_GTK_DVRENDERERS_H_
 
 typedef struct _GdkRectangle GdkRectangle;
+typedef struct _GtkCellRendererText GtkCellRendererText;
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------
 // wxDataViewTextRenderer
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ public:
     virtual void SetAlignment( int align );
 
     virtual bool GtkSupportsAttrs() const { return true; }
+    virtual bool GtkSetAttr(const wxDataViewItemAttr& attr);
 
 protected:
     // implementation of Set/GetValue()
@@ -128,13 +130,23 @@ public:
         m_renderParams.flags = flags;
     }
 
+    // we may or not support attributes, as we don't know it, return true to
+    // make it possible to use them
+    virtual bool GtkSupportsAttrs() const { return true; }
+
+    virtual bool GtkSetAttr(const wxDataViewItemAttr& attr)
+    {
+        SetAttr(attr);
+        return !attr.IsDefault();
+    }
+
 protected:
     bool Init(wxDataViewCellMode mode, int align);
 
 private:
     wxDC        *m_dc;
 
-    GtkCellRenderer      *m_text_renderer;
+    GtkCellRendererText      *m_text_renderer;
 
     // parameters of the original render() call stored so that we could pass
     // them forward to m_text_renderer if our RenderText() is called
diff --git a/src/gtk/dataview.cpp b/src/gtk/dataview.cpp
index 3871c0891e..f77f50d776 100644
--- a/src/gtk/dataview.cpp
+++ b/src/gtk/dataview.cpp
@@ -1748,6 +1748,102 @@ static void wxGtkTextRendererEditedCallback( GtkCellRendererText *WXUNUSED(rende
 
 }
 
+namespace
+{
+
+// helper function used by wxDataViewTextRenderer and
+// wxDataViewCustomRenderer::RenderText(): it applies the attributes to the
+// given text renderer and returns true if anything was done
+bool GtkApplyAttr(GtkCellRendererText *renderer, const wxDataViewItemAttr& attr)
+{
+    bool usingDefaultAttrs = true;
+    if (attr.HasColour())
+    {
+        const GdkColor * const gcol = attr.GetColour().GetColor();
+
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, GDK_TYPE_COLOR );
+        g_value_set_boxed( &gvalue, gcol );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "foreground_gdk", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+
+        usingDefaultAttrs = false;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
+        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "foreground-set", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+    }
+
+    if (attr.GetItalic())
+    {
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, PANGO_TYPE_STYLE );
+        g_value_set_enum( &gvalue, PANGO_STYLE_ITALIC );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "style", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+
+        usingDefaultAttrs = false;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
+        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "style-set", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+    }
+
+
+    if (attr.GetBold())
+    {
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, PANGO_TYPE_WEIGHT );
+        g_value_set_enum( &gvalue, PANGO_WEIGHT_BOLD );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "weight", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+
+        usingDefaultAttrs = false;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
+        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "weight-set", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+    }
+
+#if 0
+    if (attr.HasBackgroundColour())
+    {
+        wxColour colour = attr.GetBackgroundColour();
+        const GdkColor * const gcol = colour.GetColor();
+
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, GDK_TYPE_COLOR );
+        g_value_set_boxed( &gvalue, gcol );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "cell-background_gdk", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
+        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
+        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
+        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "cell-background-set", &gvalue );
+        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
+    }
+#endif
+
+    return !usingDefaultAttrs;
+}
+
+} // anonymous namespace
+
 IMPLEMENT_CLASS(wxDataViewTextRenderer, wxDataViewRenderer)
 
 wxDataViewTextRenderer::wxDataViewTextRenderer( const wxString &varianttype, wxDataViewCellMode mode,
@@ -1818,6 +1914,11 @@ void wxDataViewTextRenderer::SetAlignment( int align )
     g_value_unset( &gvalue );
 }
 
+bool wxDataViewTextRenderer::GtkSetAttr(const wxDataViewItemAttr& attr)
+{
+    return GtkApplyAttr(GTK_CELL_RENDERER_TEXT(m_renderer), attr);
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------
 // wxDataViewBitmapRenderer
 // ---------------------------------------------------------
@@ -2036,7 +2137,7 @@ void wxDataViewCustomRenderer::RenderText( const wxString &text,
                                            int WXUNUSED(state) )
 {
     if (!m_text_renderer)
-        m_text_renderer = gtk_cell_renderer_text_new();
+        m_text_renderer = GTK_CELL_RENDERER_TEXT(gtk_cell_renderer_text_new());
 
     GValue gvalue = { 0, };
     g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_STRING );
@@ -2044,12 +2145,14 @@ void wxDataViewCustomRenderer::RenderText( const wxString &text,
     g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(m_text_renderer), "text", &gvalue );
     g_value_unset( &gvalue );
 
+    GtkApplyAttr(m_text_renderer, GetAttr());
+
     GdkRectangle cell_area;
     wxRectToGDKRect(cell, cell_area);
     cell_area.x += xoffset;
     cell_area.width -= xoffset;
 
-    gtk_cell_renderer_render( m_text_renderer,
+    gtk_cell_renderer_render( GTK_CELL_RENDERER(m_text_renderer),
         m_renderParams.window,
         m_renderParams.widget,
         m_renderParams.background_area,
@@ -2565,108 +2668,21 @@ static void wxGtkTreeCellDataFunc( GtkTreeViewColumn *WXUNUSED(column),
     cell->SetValue( value );
 
 
-    // deal with attributes if we can handle them here: currently this is only
-    // the case for wxDataViewTextRenderer (and derived) class(es) because
-    // GtkCellRendererText is the only GTK renderer that we use which supports
-    // the properties below (foreground_gdk, style, weight) -- if any other
-    // renderers added in the future support them too, they should simply
-    // override their GtkSupportsAttrs() to return true
+    // deal with attributes: if the renderer doesn't support them at all, we
+    // don't even need to query the model for them
     if ( !cell->GtkSupportsAttrs() )
         return;
 
+    // it can support attributes so check if this item has any
     wxDataViewItemAttr attr;
-    if ( !wx_model->GetAttr( item, cell->GetOwner()->GetModelColumn(), attr )
-            && cell->GtkIsUsingDefaultAttrs() )
+    if ( wx_model->GetAttr( item, cell->GetOwner()->GetModelColumn(), attr )
+            || !cell->GtkIsUsingDefaultAttrs() )
     {
-        // no custom attributes specified and we're already using the default
-        // ones -- nothing to do
-        return;
+        bool usingDefaultAttrs = !cell->GtkSetAttr(attr);
+        cell->GtkSetUsingDefaultAttrs(usingDefaultAttrs);
     }
-
-    bool usingDefaultAttrs = true;
-    if (attr.HasColour())
-    {
-        const GdkColor * const gcol = attr.GetColour().GetColor();
-
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, GDK_TYPE_COLOR );
-        g_value_set_boxed( &gvalue, gcol );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "foreground_gdk", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-
-        usingDefaultAttrs = false;
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
-        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "foreground-set", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-    }
-
-    if (attr.GetItalic())
-    {
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, PANGO_TYPE_STYLE );
-        g_value_set_enum( &gvalue, PANGO_STYLE_ITALIC );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "style", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-
-        usingDefaultAttrs = false;
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
-        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "style-set", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-    }
-
-
-    if (attr.GetBold())
-    {
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, PANGO_TYPE_WEIGHT );
-        g_value_set_enum( &gvalue, PANGO_WEIGHT_BOLD );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "weight", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-
-        usingDefaultAttrs = false;
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
-        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "weight-set", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-    }
-
-#if 0
-    if (attr.HasBackgroundColour())
-    {
-        wxColour colour = attr.GetBackgroundColour();
-        const GdkColor * const gcol = colour.GetColor();
-
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, GDK_TYPE_COLOR );
-        g_value_set_boxed( &gvalue, gcol );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "cell-background_gdk", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        GValue gvalue = { 0, };
-        g_value_init( &gvalue, G_TYPE_BOOLEAN );
-        g_value_set_boolean( &gvalue, FALSE );
-        g_object_set_property( G_OBJECT(renderer), "cell-background-set", &gvalue );
-        g_value_unset( &gvalue );
-    }
-#endif
-
-    cell->GtkSetUsingDefaultAttrs(usingDefaultAttrs);
+    // else: no custom attributes specified and we're already using the default
+    //       ones -- nothing to do
 }
 
 } // extern "C"