diff --git a/libvips/colour/CMYK2XYZ.c b/libvips/colour/CMYK2XYZ.c
index 83e2603c..0abc074b 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/CMYK2XYZ.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/CMYK2XYZ.c
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@
 #include <vips/vips.h>
 #include <vips/internal.h>
 
-#include "pcolour.h"
 #include "profiles.h"
+#include "pcolour.h"
 
 typedef struct _VipsCMYK2XYZ {
 	VipsOperation parent_instance;
@@ -61,40 +61,66 @@ G_DEFINE_TYPE( VipsCMYK2XYZ, vips_CMYK2XYZ, VIPS_TYPE_OPERATION );
 
 /* Created on first use from a base64 string in profiles.c.
  */
-static void *vips_CMYK2XYZ_fallback_profile = NULL;
-static size_t vips_CMYK2XYZ_fallback_profile_length = 0;
+typedef struct _VipsFallbackProfile {
+	const char *name;
+	void *data;
+	size_t data_length;
+} VipsFallbackProfile;
+
+static GSList *vips_fallback_profile_list = NULL;
 
 static void *
-vips_CMYK2XYZ_get_fallback_profile_init( void )
+vips__fallback_profile_get_init( void )
 {
-	size_t data_length;
-	unsigned char *data;
+	int i;
 
-	if( !(data = vips__b64_decode( vips__coded_cmyk, &data_length )) )
-		return( NULL );
-	vips_CMYK2XYZ_fallback_profile = data;
-	vips_CMYK2XYZ_fallback_profile_length = data_length;
+	for( i = 0; vips__coded_profiles[i].name; i++ ) {
+		size_t data_length;
+		unsigned char *data;
+		VipsFallbackProfile *fallback;
+
+		if( !(data = vips__b64_decode( 
+			vips__coded_profiles[i].data, &data_length )) )
+			return( NULL );
+		fallback = g_new( VipsFallbackProfile,1 );
+		fallback->name = vips__coded_profiles[i].name;
+		fallback->data = data;
+		fallback->data_length = data_length;
+		vips_fallback_profile_list = g_slist_append( 
+			vips_fallback_profile_list, fallback );
+	}
 
 	return( NULL );
 }
 
-static void *
-vips__CMYK2XYZ_get_fallback_profile( size_t *length )
+/* Shared with icc_transform.c
+ */
+void *
+vips__fallback_profile_get( const char *name, size_t *length )
 {
 	GOnce once = G_ONCE_INIT;
 
-	VIPS_ONCE( &once, 
-		(GThreadFunc) vips_CMYK2XYZ_get_fallback_profile_init, NULL );
+	GSList *p;
 
-	*length = vips_CMYK2XYZ_fallback_profile_length;
+	VIPS_ONCE( &once, (GThreadFunc) vips__fallback_profile_get_init, NULL );
 
-	return( vips_CMYK2XYZ_fallback_profile );
+	for( p = vips_fallback_profile_list; p; p = p->next ) {
+		VipsFallbackProfile *fallback = (VipsFallbackProfile *) p->data;
+
+		if( strcasecmp( fallback->name, name ) == 0 ) {
+			*length = fallback->data_length;
+
+			return( fallback->data );
+		}
+	}
+
+	return( NULL );
 }
 
 /* Shared with XYZ2CMYK.c.
  */
 int
-vips_CMYK2XYZ_set_fallback_profile( VipsImage *image )
+vips__fallback_profile_set( const char *name, VipsImage *image )
 {
 	size_t data_length;
 	unsigned char *data;
@@ -105,8 +131,11 @@ vips_CMYK2XYZ_set_fallback_profile( VipsImage *image )
 	if( vips_image_get_typeof( image, VIPS_META_ICC_NAME ) )
 		return( 0 );
 
-	if( !(data = vips__CMYK2XYZ_get_fallback_profile( &data_length )) )
+	if( !(data = vips__fallback_profile_get( name, &data_length )) ) {
+		vips_error( "fallback", 
+			_( "unknown fallback profile \"%s\"" ), name ); 
 		return( -1 );
+	}
 
 	vips_image_set_blob( image, VIPS_META_ICC_NAME,
 		NULL, data, data_length );
@@ -140,7 +169,7 @@ vips_CMYK2XYZ_build( VipsObject *object )
 	g_object_set( object, "out", out, NULL ); 
 
 	if( vips_copy( CMYK2XYZ->in, &t[0], NULL ) ||
-		vips_CMYK2XYZ_set_fallback_profile( t[0] ) ||
+		vips__fallback_profile_set( "cmyk", t[0] ) ||
 		vips__colourspace_process_n( "CMYK2XYZ", 
 			t[0], &t[1], 4, vips_CMYK2XYZ_process ) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[1], out ) )
diff --git a/libvips/colour/Makefile.am b/libvips/colour/Makefile.am
index 09d8b55e..4aeb5499 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/Makefile.am
+++ b/libvips/colour/Makefile.am
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 noinst_LTLIBRARIES = libcolour.la
 
 if ENABLE_LCMS
-PROFILES = profiles.c profiles.h 
+PROFILES = profiles.c 
 else
 PROFILES = 
 endif
 
 libcolour_la_SOURCES = \
 	$(PROFILES) \
+	profiles.h \
 	colour.c \
 	pcolour.h \
 	CMYK2XYZ.c \
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ libcolour_la_SOURCES = \
 	scRGB2sRGB.c 
 
 profiles.c:
-	./wrap_profiles.sh profiles profiles
+	./wrap_profiles.sh profiles profiles.c
 
 EXTRA_DIST = \
 	profiles \
diff --git a/libvips/colour/XYZ2CMYK.c b/libvips/colour/XYZ2CMYK.c
index bf5cd2b3..d7737399 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/XYZ2CMYK.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/XYZ2CMYK.c
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ vips_XYZ2CMYK_build( VipsObject *object )
 	g_object_set( object, "out", out, NULL ); 
 
 	if( vips_copy( XYZ2CMYK->in, &t[0], NULL ) ||
-		vips_CMYK2XYZ_set_fallback_profile( t[0] ) ||
+		vips__fallback_profile_set( "cmyk", t[0] ) ||
 		vips__colourspace_process_n( "XYZ2CMYK", 
 			t[0], &t[1], 3, vips_XYZ2CMYK_process ) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[1], out ) )
diff --git a/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c b/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c
index 49b40caf..fec7d89b 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c
@@ -615,16 +615,51 @@ vips_icc_load_profile_image( VipsImage *image )
 	return( profile );
 }
 
+static void *
+vips_icc_get_profile_file( const char *filename, size_t *data_length )
+{
+	void *data;
+
+	/* See if we have a fallback profile of this name.
+	 */
+	if( (data = vips__fallback_profile_get( filename, data_length )) ) 
+		return( data ); 
+
+	/* Try to load as a filename.
+	 */
+	if( (data = vips__file_read_name( filename, 
+		vips__icc_dir(), data_length )) )
+		return( data ); 
+
+	return( NULL );
+}
+
+static void *
+vips_icc_get_profile_image( VipsImage *image, size_t *data_length )
+{
+	void *data;
+
+	if( !vips_image_get_typeof( image, VIPS_META_ICC_NAME ) )
+		return( NULL ); 
+
+	if( vips_image_get_blob( image, VIPS_META_ICC_NAME, 
+		&data, data_length ) _) {
+		g_warning( "%s", _( "corrupt embedded profile" ) );
+		return( NULL ); 
+	}
+
+	return( data );
+}
+
 static cmsHPROFILE
-vips_icc_load_profile_file( const char *domain, 
-	VipsImage *image, const char *filename )
+vips_icc_load_profile( const char *domain, 
+	VipsImage *image, void *data, size_t *data_length )
 {
 	cmsHPROFILE profile;
 
-	if( !(profile = cmsOpenProfileFromFile( filename, "r" )) ) {
-		vips_error( domain, 
-			_( "unable to open profile \"%s\"" ), filename );
-		return( NULL );
+	if( !(profile = cmsOpenProfileFromMem( data, data_length )) ) {
+		g_warning( "%s", _( "corrupt profile" ) );
+		return( NULL ); 
 	}
 
 	if( vips_image_expected_bands( image ) != 
diff --git a/libvips/colour/pcolour.h b/libvips/colour/pcolour.h
index da93c9c6..475c3bb4 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/pcolour.h
+++ b/libvips/colour/pcolour.h
@@ -216,7 +216,8 @@ extern float vips_v2Y_16[65536];
 void vips_col_make_tables_RGB_8( void );
 void vips_col_make_tables_RGB_16( void );
 
-int vips_CMYK2XYZ_set_fallback_profile( VipsImage *image );
+void *vips__fallback_profile_get( const char *name, size_t *length );
+int vips__fallback_profile_set( const char *name, VipsImage *image );
 
 /* A colour-transforming function.
  */
diff --git a/libvips/colour/profiles.c b/libvips/colour/profiles.c
index 0550c9e7..e064fa74 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/profiles.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/profiles.c
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 /* coded files, generated automatically */
 
-char *vips__coded_cmyk =
+#include "profiles.h"
+
+VipsCodedProfile vips__coded_profiles[] = { 
+	{ "cmyk", 
 "AA6sbGFyZ2wCIAAAcHJ0ckNNWUtMYWIgB94ACAAZAAwAKAA1YWNzcE1TRlQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
 "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1hcmdsAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
 "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPZGVzYwAAATgAAABpY3BydAAAAaQAAABnd3RwdAAAAgwAAAAUYmtw"
@@ -16872,4 +16875,6 @@ char *vips__coded_cmyk =
 "LjI5IDMuOTIgMy41NyAzLjIzIDMuMDUgMy40IDQuMjUgNC43NCAzLjc1IDIuNDggMS45NCAxLjcz"
 "IDEuNDYgMS40IDEuODMgMi41OCAyLjk0IDIuOTUgMi45NCAyLjk1IDIuOTggMy4zMiAzLjk5IDQu"
 "NDIgNC4yOCAzLjk0IDMuNDcgMy4xMyAzLjM1IDQuMjENCkVORF9EQVRBDQoNCg0KDQoNCgAA"
-;
+	},
+	{ 0, 0 }
+};
diff --git a/libvips/colour/profiles.h b/libvips/colour/profiles.h
index 25db4062..e958e6b4 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/profiles.h
+++ b/libvips/colour/profiles.h
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
-/* header for coded files, generated automatically */
+/* The fallback profiles, coded as a set of base64 strings, see 
+ * wrap-profiles.sh
+ */
+typedef struct _VipsCodedProfile {
+	const char *name;
+	const char *data;
+} VipsCodedProfile;
+
+extern VipsCodedProfile vips__coded_profiles[];
 
-extern char *vips__coded_cmyk ;
diff --git a/libvips/colour/profiles/sRGB.icm b/libvips/colour/profiles/sRGB.icm
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1d8f7419
Binary files /dev/null and b/libvips/colour/profiles/sRGB.icm differ
diff --git a/libvips/colour/wrap-profiles.sh b/libvips/colour/wrap-profiles.sh
index fcfd422f..cfd801b9 100755
--- a/libvips/colour/wrap-profiles.sh
+++ b/libvips/colour/wrap-profiles.sh
@@ -1,27 +1,22 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-# code up the binary files in $1 as a set of base64-encoded strings in $2
+# code up the binary files in $1 as a set of name / base64-encoded strings 
+# in $2
 
 in=$1
-out_c=$2.c
-out_h=$2.h
+out=$2
 
-echo "/* coded files, generated automatically */" > $out_c
-echo "" >> $out_c
+echo "/* coded files, generated automatically */" > $out
+echo "" >> $out
+echo "#include \"profiles.h\"" >> $out
+echo "" >> $out
+echo "VipsCodedProfile vips__coded_profiles[] = {" >> $out
 for file in $in/*; do 
   root=${file%.icm}
   base=${root##*/} 
-  echo char \*vips__coded_$base = >> $out_c
-  base64 $file | sed 's/\(.*\)/"\1"/g' >> $out_c
-  echo ';' >> $out_c
+  echo "    { \"$base\"," >> $out
+  base64 $file | sed 's/\(.*\)/"\1"/g' >> $out
+  echo "    }," >> $out
 done
-
-echo "/* header for coded files, generated automatically */" > $out_h
-echo "" >> $out_h
-for file in $in/*; do 
-  root=${file%.icm}
-  base=${root##*/} 
-  echo extern char \*vips__coded_$base ';' >> $out_h
-done
-
-
+echo "    { 0, 0 }" >> $out
+echo "};" >> $out