diff --git a/src/style-internal.cpp b/src/style-internal.cpp
index d5d43e30abeba7c4d772b1259b86769707278ab9..8c2386b752645046db664092d8eb25bfec12ef08 100644
--- a/src/style-internal.cpp
+++ b/src/style-internal.cpp
@@ -1511,14 +1511,14 @@ SPIPaint::read( gchar const *str ) {
     //                   << " document: " << (style->object->document?"yes":"no") << std::endl;
     // }
 
-    if(!str ) return;
-
-    reset( false ); // Do not init
-
-    // Is this necessary?
-    while (g_ascii_isspace(*str)) {
+    // Advance to the next non-space
+    while (str && g_ascii_isspace(*str)) {
         ++str;
     }
+    if(!str)
+        return;
+
+    reset( false ); // Do not init
 
     if (streq(str, "inherit")) {
         set = true;
@@ -1562,10 +1562,16 @@ SPIPaint::read( gchar const *str ) {
             }
         }
 
-        while ( g_ascii_isspace(*str) ) {
+        // Ignore spaces between elements
+        while ( str && g_ascii_isspace(*str) ) {
             ++str;
         }
 
+        if (!str) {
+            std::cerr << "SPIPaint::read(): value ended prematurely." << std::endl;
+            return;
+        }
+
         if (streq(str, "currentColor")) {
             set = true;
             paintOrigin = SP_CSS_PAINT_ORIGIN_CURRENT_COLOR;
@@ -1594,9 +1600,15 @@ SPIPaint::read( gchar const *str ) {
                 setColor( rgb0 );
                 set = true;
 
-                while (g_ascii_isspace(*str)) {
+                // Ignore spaces between color and icc profile.
+                while (str && g_ascii_isspace(*str)) {
                     ++str;
                 }
+                if (!str) {
+                    std::cerr << "SPIPaint::read(): value ended prematurely." << std::endl;
+                    return;
+                }
+
                 if (strneq(str, "icc-color(", 10)) {
                     SVGICCColor* tmp = new SVGICCColor();
                     if ( ! sp_svg_read_icc_color( str, &str, tmp ) ) {