diff --git a/gdk/gdktexture.c b/gdk/gdktexture.c
index 01ed8dc43f..082a32f290 100644
--- a/gdk/gdktexture.c
+++ b/gdk/gdktexture.c
@@ -68,6 +68,33 @@ enum {
 
 static GParamSpec *properties[N_PROPS];
 
+static GdkTextureChain *
+gdk_texture_chain_new (void)
+{
+  GdkTextureChain *chain = g_new0 (GdkTextureChain, 1);
+
+  g_atomic_ref_count_init (&chain->ref_count);
+  g_mutex_init (&chain->lock);
+
+  return chain;
+}
+
+static void
+gdk_texture_chain_ref (GdkTextureChain *chain)
+{
+  g_atomic_ref_count_inc (&chain->ref_count);
+}
+
+static void
+gdk_texture_chain_unref (GdkTextureChain *chain)
+{
+  if (g_atomic_ref_count_dec (&chain->ref_count))
+    {
+      g_mutex_clear (&chain->lock);
+      g_free (chain);
+    }
+}
+
 static void
 gdk_texture_paintable_snapshot (GdkPaintable *paintable,
                                 GdkSnapshot  *snapshot,
@@ -283,7 +310,30 @@ gdk_texture_dispose (GObject *object)
 {
   GdkTexture *self = GDK_TEXTURE (object);
 
-  g_clear_pointer (&self->diff_to_previous, cairo_region_destroy);
+  if (self->chain)
+    {
+      g_mutex_lock (&self->chain->lock);
+
+      if (self->next_texture && self->previous_texture)
+        {
+          cairo_region_union (self->next_texture->diff_to_previous,
+                              self->diff_to_previous);
+          self->next_texture->previous_texture = self->previous_texture;
+          self->previous_texture->next_texture = self->next_texture;
+        }
+      else if (self->next_texture)
+        self->next_texture->previous_texture = NULL;
+      else if (self->previous_texture)
+        self->previous_texture->next_texture = NULL;
+
+      self->next_texture = NULL;
+      self->previous_texture = NULL;
+      g_clear_pointer (&self->diff_to_previous, cairo_region_destroy);
+
+      g_mutex_unlock (&self->chain->lock);
+
+      g_clear_pointer (&self->chain, gdk_texture_chain_unref);
+    }
 
   gdk_texture_clear_render_data (self);
 
@@ -679,34 +729,64 @@ gdk_texture_do_download (GdkTexture      *texture,
   GDK_TEXTURE_GET_CLASS (texture)->download (texture, format, data, stride);
 }
 
+static gboolean
+gdk_texture_has_ancestor (GdkTexture *self,
+                          GdkTexture *other)
+{
+  GdkTexture *texture;
+
+  for (texture = self->previous_texture;
+       texture != NULL;
+       texture = texture->previous_texture)
+    {
+      if (texture == other)
+        return TRUE;
+    }
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
+static void
+gdk_texture_diff_from_known_ancestor (GdkTexture     *self,
+                                      GdkTexture     *ancestor,
+                                      cairo_region_t *region)
+{
+  GdkTexture *texture;
+
+  for (texture = self; texture != ancestor; texture = texture->previous_texture)
+    cairo_region_union (region, texture->diff_to_previous);
+}
+
 void
 gdk_texture_diff (GdkTexture     *self,
                   GdkTexture     *other,
                   cairo_region_t *region)
 {
-  if (self == other)
+  cairo_rectangle_int_t fill = {
+    .x = 0,
+    .y = 0,
+    .width = MAX (self->width, other->width),
+    .height = MAX (self->height, other->height),
+  };
+  GdkTextureChain *chain;
+
+  if (other == self)
     return;
 
-  if (self->previous_texture == other &&
-      g_atomic_pointer_get (&other->next_texture) == self)
+  chain = g_atomic_pointer_get (&self->chain);
+  if (chain == NULL || chain != g_atomic_pointer_get (&other->chain))
     {
-      cairo_region_union (region, self->diff_to_previous);
-    }
-  else if (other->previous_texture == self &&
-           g_atomic_pointer_get (&self->next_texture) == other)
-    {
-      cairo_region_union (region, other->diff_to_previous);
+      cairo_region_union_rectangle (region, &fill);
+      return;
     }
+
+  g_mutex_lock (&chain->lock);
+  if (gdk_texture_has_ancestor (self, other))
+    gdk_texture_diff_from_known_ancestor (self, other, region);
+  else if (gdk_texture_has_ancestor (other, self))
+    gdk_texture_diff_from_known_ancestor (other, self, region);
   else
-    {
-      cairo_region_union_rectangle (region,
-                                    &(cairo_rectangle_int_t) {
-                                      0,
-                                      0,
-                                      MAX (self->width, other->width),
-                                      MAX (self->height, other->height)
-                                    });
-    }
+    cairo_region_union_rectangle (region, &fill);
+  g_mutex_unlock (&chain->lock);
 }
 
 void
@@ -715,10 +795,30 @@ gdk_texture_set_diff (GdkTexture     *self,
                       cairo_region_t *diff)
 {
   g_assert (self->diff_to_previous == NULL);
+  g_assert (self->chain == NULL);
 
+  self->chain = g_atomic_pointer_get (&previous->chain);
+  if (self->chain == NULL)
+    {
+      self->chain = gdk_texture_chain_new ();
+      if (!g_atomic_pointer_compare_and_exchange (&previous->chain,
+                                                  NULL,
+                                                  self->chain))
+        gdk_texture_chain_unref (self->chain);
+      self->chain = previous->chain;
+    }
+  gdk_texture_chain_ref (self->chain);
+
+  g_mutex_lock (&self->chain->lock);
+  if (previous->next_texture)
+    {
+      previous->next_texture->previous_texture = NULL;
+      g_clear_pointer (&previous->next_texture->diff_to_previous, cairo_region_destroy);
+    }
+  previous->next_texture = self;
   self->previous_texture = previous;
   self->diff_to_previous = diff;
-  g_atomic_pointer_set (&previous->next_texture, self);
+  g_mutex_unlock (&self->chain->lock);
 }
 
 cairo_surface_t *
diff --git a/gdk/gdktextureprivate.h b/gdk/gdktextureprivate.h
index b0fc2a8785..2a78d7415c 100644
--- a/gdk/gdktextureprivate.h
+++ b/gdk/gdktextureprivate.h
@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
+typedef struct _GdkTextureChain GdkTextureChain;
+
+struct _GdkTextureChain
+{
+  gatomicrefcount ref_count;
+  GMutex lock;
+};
+
 #define GDK_TEXTURE_CLASS(klass)            (G_TYPE_CHECK_CLASS_CAST ((klass), GDK_TYPE_TEXTURE, GdkTextureClass))
 #define GDK_IS_TEXTURE_CLASS(klass)         (G_TYPE_CHECK_CLASS_TYPE ((klass), GDK_TYPE_TEXTURE))
 #define GDK_TEXTURE_GET_CLASS(obj)          (G_TYPE_INSTANCE_GET_CLASS ((obj), GDK_TYPE_TEXTURE, GdkTextureClass))
@@ -23,10 +31,13 @@ struct _GdkTexture
   GDestroyNotify render_notify;
 
   /* for diffing swapchain-like textures.
-   * Links are only valid if both textures agree on them */
-  gpointer next_texture; /* atomic, no reference, may be invalid pointer */
-  gpointer previous_texture; /* no reference, may be invalid pointer */
-  cairo_region_t *diff_to_previous;
+   * Textures in the same chain are connected in a double linked list which is
+   * protected using the chain's shared mutex.
+   */
+  GdkTextureChain *chain;  /* lazy, atomic, shared by all chain links */
+  GdkTexture *next_texture;  /* no reference, guarded by chain lock */
+  GdkTexture *previous_texture;  /* no reference, guarded by chain lock */
+  cairo_region_t *diff_to_previous;  /* guarded by chain lock */
 };
 
 struct _GdkTextureClass {
diff --git a/testsuite/gdk/texture.c b/testsuite/gdk/texture.c
index ddfa119aef..eeb879294e 100644
--- a/testsuite/gdk/texture.c
+++ b/testsuite/gdk/texture.c
@@ -3,6 +3,21 @@
 #include "gdk/gdkmemorytextureprivate.h"
 #include "gdk/gdktextureprivate.h"
 
+
+#define assert_texture_diff_equal(a, b, expected) G_STMT_START { \
+  cairo_region_t *_r; \
+\
+  _r = cairo_region_create (); \
+  gdk_texture_diff (a, b, _r); \
+  g_assert_true (cairo_region_equal (_r, expected)); \
+  cairo_region_destroy(_r); \
+\
+  _r = cairo_region_create (); \
+  gdk_texture_diff (b, a, _r); \
+  g_assert_true (cairo_region_equal (_r, expected)); \
+  cairo_region_destroy(_r); \
+}G_STMT_END
+
 static void
 compare_pixels (int     width,
                 int     height,
@@ -312,47 +327,49 @@ test_texture_icon_serialize (void)
 static void
 test_texture_diff (void)
 {
+  GdkTexture *texture0;
   GdkTexture *texture;
   GdkTexture *texture2;
+  cairo_region_t *empty;
   cairo_region_t *full;
   cairo_region_t *center;
-  cairo_region_t *r;
+  cairo_region_t *left;
+  cairo_region_t *left_center;
 
+  texture0 = gdk_texture_new_from_resource ("/org/gtk/libgtk/icons/16x16/places/user-trash.png");
   texture = gdk_texture_new_from_resource ("/org/gtk/libgtk/icons/16x16/places/user-trash.png");
   texture2 = gdk_texture_new_from_resource ("/org/gtk/libgtk/icons/16x16/places/user-trash.png");
 
+  empty = cairo_region_create();
   full = cairo_region_create_rectangle (&(cairo_rectangle_int_t) { 0, 0, 16, 16 });
   center = cairo_region_create_rectangle (&(cairo_rectangle_int_t) { 4, 4, 8 ,8 });
+  left = cairo_region_create_rectangle (&(cairo_rectangle_int_t) { 0, 4, 4, 4 });
+  left_center = cairo_region_copy (left);
+  cairo_region_union (left_center, center);
 
-  r = cairo_region_create ();
-  gdk_texture_diff (texture, texture, r);
-
-  g_assert_true (cairo_region_is_empty (r));
-
-  gdk_texture_diff (texture, texture2, r);
+  assert_texture_diff_equal (texture, texture, empty);
 
   /* No diff set, so we get the full area */
-  g_assert_true (cairo_region_equal (r, full));
-  cairo_region_destroy (r);
+  assert_texture_diff_equal (texture, texture2, full);
 
   gdk_texture_set_diff (texture, texture2, cairo_region_copy (center));
 
-  r = cairo_region_create ();
-  gdk_texture_diff (texture, texture2, r);
+  assert_texture_diff_equal (texture, texture2, center);
 
-  g_assert_true (cairo_region_equal (r, center));
-  cairo_region_destroy (r);
+  gdk_texture_set_diff (texture0, texture, cairo_region_copy (left));
 
-  r = cairo_region_create ();
-  gdk_texture_diff (texture2, texture, r);
+  assert_texture_diff_equal (texture0, texture2, left_center);
 
-  g_assert_true (cairo_region_equal (r, center));
-  cairo_region_destroy (r);
+  g_object_unref (texture);
+
+  assert_texture_diff_equal (texture0, texture2, left_center);
 
   cairo_region_destroy (full);
   cairo_region_destroy (center);
-  g_object_unref (texture);
+  cairo_region_destroy (left);
+  cairo_region_destroy (left_center);
   g_object_unref (texture2);
+  g_object_unref (texture0);
 }
 
 static void