diff --git a/src/color/Gradient.js b/src/color/Gradient.js
index feb699fc..2ab4e922 100644
--- a/src/color/Gradient.js
+++ b/src/color/Gradient.js
@@ -17,11 +17,15 @@
 var Gradient = this.Gradient = Base.extend({
 	beans: true,
 
-	initialize: function() {
-		this.setStops([
-				new GradientStop('white', 0),
-				new GradientStop('black', 1)]);
-		this.type = 'linear';
+	// Todo: should type here be called 'radial' and have it
+	// receive a boolean value?
+	initialize: function(stops, type) {
+		if(!stops) {
+			stops = [new GradientStop('white', 0),
+					new GradientStop('black', 1)];
+		}
+		this.setStops(stops);
+		this.type = type ? type : 'linear';
 	},
 
 	getStops: function() {
@@ -32,6 +36,22 @@ var Gradient = this.Gradient = Base.extend({
 		if (stops.length < 2)
 			throw new Error(
 					'Gradient stop list needs to contain at least two stops.');
+		if(!(stops[0] instanceof GradientStop)) {
+			for(var i = 0, l = stops.length; i < l; i++) {
+				var midPoint;
+				var stop = stops[i];
+				// If it is an array, the second argument is the midPoint:
+				if(stop.length) {
+					midPoint = stop[1];
+					stop = stop[0];
+				} else {
+				// Otherwise stops is an array of colors, and we need to
+				// calculate the midPoint:
+					midPoint = i / (l - 1);
+				}
+				stops[i] = new GradientStop(stop, midPoint);
+			}
+		}
 		this._stops = stops;
 	}
 });