diff --git a/src/cairo-recording-surface.c b/src/cairo-recording-surface.c
index 6df8b0821..3e8b8e780 100644
--- a/src/cairo-recording-surface.c
+++ b/src/cairo-recording-surface.c
@@ -1764,6 +1764,11 @@ _cairo_recording_surface_merge_source_attributes (cairo_recording_surface_t  *su
 	if (_cairo_surface_is_snapshot (surf))
 	    free_me = surf = _cairo_surface_snapshot_get_target (surf);
 
+	if (unlikely (surf->status))
+	    // There was some kind of error and the surface could be a nil error
+	    // surface with various "problems" (e.g. ->backend == NULL).
+	    return;
+
 	if (surf->type == CAIRO_SURFACE_TYPE_RECORDING) {
 	    cairo_recording_surface_t *rec_surf = (cairo_recording_surface_t *) surf;
 
diff --git a/src/cairo-surface-snapshot.c b/src/cairo-surface-snapshot.c
index a8b8c0e45..b2908f6bc 100644
--- a/src/cairo-surface-snapshot.c
+++ b/src/cairo-surface-snapshot.c
@@ -71,7 +71,9 @@ _cairo_surface_snapshot_flush (void *abstract_surface, unsigned flags)
     cairo_status_t status;
 
     target = _cairo_surface_snapshot_get_target (&surface->base);
-    status = _cairo_surface_flush (target, flags);
+    status = target->status;
+    if (status == CAIRO_STATUS_SUCCESS)
+	status = _cairo_surface_flush (target, flags);
     cairo_surface_destroy (target);
 
     return status;