--- graphics.cc	2007-06-01 20:16:39.000000000 +0300
+++ graphics_n.cc	2007-06-01 20:16:09.000000000 +0300
@@ -371,6 +371,54 @@
     return *this;
   }
 
+  color_property& operator = (const octave_value& val)
+  {
+    if (val.is_string ())
+      {
+	std::string s = val.string_value ();
+
+	if (radio_val.validate (s))
+	  {
+	    current_val = s;
+	    current_type = radio_t;
+	  }
+
+	if ( s.length () == 1 )
+	  {
+	    color_values col (s[0]);
+	    if (! error_state)
+	      {
+		color_val = col;
+		current_type = color_t;
+	      }
+	    else if ( !radio_val.validate (s))
+	      error ("invalid color specification");	  
+	  }
+	else if ( !radio_val.validate (s))
+	      error ("invalid color specification");	  
+      }
+    else if (val.is_real_matrix ())
+      {
+	Matrix m = val.matrix_value ();
+
+	if (m.numel () == 3)
+	  {
+	    color_values col (m (0), m (1), m(2));
+	    if (! error_state)
+	      {
+		color_val = col;
+		current_type = color_t;
+	      }
+	  }
+	else
+	  error ("invalid color specification");
+      }
+    else 
+      error ("invalid color specification");
+
+    return *this;
+  }
+
   color_property& operator = (const std::string& newval)
   {
     if (radio_val.validate (newval))