diff --git a/src/cairo-gstate-private.h b/src/cairo-gstate-private.h
index cd417ece3..293953b1e 100644
--- a/src/cairo-gstate-private.h
+++ b/src/cairo-gstate-private.h
@@ -302,10 +302,6 @@ _cairo_gstate_select_font_face (cairo_gstate_t *gstate,
 				cairo_font_slant_t slant,
 				cairo_font_weight_t weight);
 
-cairo_private cairo_status_t
-_cairo_gstate_set_font_size (cairo_gstate_t *gstate,
-			     double          size);
-
 cairo_private void
 _cairo_gstate_get_font_matrix (cairo_gstate_t *gstate,
 			       cairo_matrix_t *matrix);
diff --git a/src/cairo-gstate.c b/src/cairo-gstate.c
index c60448266..eaf7a56aa 100644
--- a/src/cairo-gstate.c
+++ b/src/cairo-gstate.c
@@ -1604,17 +1604,6 @@ _cairo_gstate_select_font_face (cairo_gstate_t       *gstate,
     return status;
 }
 
-cairo_status_t
-_cairo_gstate_set_font_size (cairo_gstate_t *gstate,
-			     double          size)
-{
-    _cairo_gstate_unset_scaled_font (gstate);
-
-    cairo_matrix_init_scale (&gstate->font_matrix, size, size);
-
-    return CAIRO_STATUS_SUCCESS;
-}
-
 cairo_status_t
 _cairo_gstate_set_font_matrix (cairo_gstate_t	    *gstate,
 			       const cairo_matrix_t *matrix)
diff --git a/src/cairo.c b/src/cairo.c
index 2ea36bc7c..9e12c6ea4 100644
--- a/src/cairo.c
+++ b/src/cairo.c
@@ -3061,14 +3061,11 @@ cairo_get_font_face (cairo_t *cr)
 void
 cairo_set_font_size (cairo_t *cr, double size)
 {
-    cairo_status_t status;
+    cairo_matrix_t scale;
 
-    if (unlikely (cr->status))
-	return;
+    cairo_matrix_init_scale (&scale, size, size);
 
-    status = _cairo_gstate_set_font_size (cr->gstate, size);
-    if (unlikely (status))
-	_cairo_set_error (cr, status);
+    cairo_set_font_matrix (cr, &scale);
 }
 slim_hidden_def (cairo_set_font_size);