diff --git a/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h b/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h
index 99b61a3b..b2f29c28 100644
--- a/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h
+++ b/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h
@@ -550,6 +550,23 @@ public:
 		return( new_from_image( to_vectorv( 1, pixel ) ) ); 
 	}
 
+	static VImage 
+	new_from_memory_steal( void *data, size_t size,
+		int width, int height, int bands, VipsBandFormat format )
+	{
+		VipsImage *image;
+
+		if( !(image = vips_image_new_from_memory( data, size, 
+			width, height, bands, format )) )
+			throw( VError() );
+
+		if( g_signal_connect( image, "postclose",
+		    G_CALLBACK(vips_image_free_buffer), data) < 0 )
+			throw( VError() );
+
+		return( VImage( image ) ); 
+	}
+
 	VImage 
 	copy_memory() const
 	{
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/image.h b/libvips/include/vips/image.h
index 01b59968..e766b3fd 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/image.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/image.h
@@ -522,6 +522,8 @@ int vips_reorder_prepare_many( VipsImage *image,
 	struct _VipsRegion **regions, VipsRect *r );
 void vips_reorder_margin_hint( VipsImage *image, int margin );
 
+void vips_image_free_buffer( VipsImage* image, void* buffer );
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif /*__cplusplus*/
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
index 2516351d..f115905c 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
@@ -3872,6 +3872,43 @@ vips_band_format_iscomplex( VipsBandFormat format )
 	}
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_image_free_buffer:
+ * @image: the image that contains the buffer
+ * @buffer: the orignal buffer that was stolen
+ *
+ * Free the externally allocated buffer found in the input image. This function
+ * is intened to be used with g_signal_connect, so it can free an externally
+ * allocated buffer.
+ */
+void
+vips_image_free_buffer( VipsImage* image, void* buffer )
+{
+	switch( vips_image_get_format( image ) ) {
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_UCHAR:
+		free( (unsigned char*)buffer ); break;
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_CHAR:
+		free( (char*)buffer ); break;
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_USHORT:
+		free( (unsigned short*)buffer ); break;
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_SHORT:
+		free( (short*)buffer ); break;
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_UINT:
+		free( (unsigned int*)buffer ); break;
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_INT:
+		free( (int*)buffer ); break;
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_FLOAT:
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_COMPLEX:
+		free( (float*)buffer ); break;
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_DOUBLE:
+	case VIPS_FORMAT_DPCOMPLEX:
+		free( (double*)buffer ); break;
+
+	default:
+		g_assert_not_reached();
+	}
+}
+
 /* Handy for debugging: view an image in nip2.
  */
 int