diff --git a/git/objects/commit.py b/git/objects/commit.py
index c32bbf1a0..acac6604d 100644
--- a/git/objects/commit.py
+++ b/git/objects/commit.py
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ class Commit(Diffable, Iterable, RepoAliasMixin, base.Object, Traversable, Seria
 	__slots__ = ("tree",
 				 "author", "authored_date", "author_tz_offset",
 				 "committer", "committed_date", "committer_tz_offset",
-				 "message", "parents", "encoding")
+				 "message", "parents", "encoding", "gpgsig")
 	_id_attribute_ = "binsha"
 	
 	
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ def create_from_tree(cls, repo, tree, message, parent_commits=None, head=False):
 		
 	def __init__(self, odb, binsha, tree=None, author=None, authored_date=None, author_tz_offset=None,
 				 committer=None, committed_date=None, committer_tz_offset=None, 
-				 message=None,  parents=None, encoding=None):
+				 message=None,  parents=None, encoding=None, gpgsig=None):
 		"""Instantiate a new Commit. All keyword arguments taking None as default will 
 		be implicitly set on first query. 
 		
@@ -322,6 +322,9 @@ def __init__(self, odb, binsha, tree=None, author=None, authored_date=None, auth
 			self.parents = parents
 		if encoding is not None:
 			self.encoding = encoding
+		self.gpgsig = None
+		if gpgsig is not None:
+			self.gpgsig = gpgsig
 		
 	@classmethod
 	def _get_intermediate_items(cls, commit):
@@ -399,6 +402,9 @@ def _serialize(self, stream):
 		
 		if self.encoding != self.default_encoding:
 			write("encoding %s\n" % self.encoding)
+
+		if self.gpgsig:
+			write("gpgsig %s" % self.gpgsig)
 		
 		write("\n")
 		
@@ -407,7 +413,7 @@ def _serialize(self, stream):
 			write(self.message.encode(self.encoding))
 		else:
 			write(self.message)
-		# END handle encoding
+	# END handle encoding
 		return self
 	
 	def _deserialize(self, stream):
@@ -435,15 +441,20 @@ def _deserialize(self, stream):
 		# now we can have the encoding line, or an empty line followed by the optional
 		# message.
 		self.encoding = self.default_encoding
-		# read encoding or empty line to separate message
-		enc = readline()
-		enc = enc.strip()
-		if enc:
-			self.encoding = enc[enc.find(' ')+1:]
-			# now comes the message separator 
-			readline()
-		# END handle encoding
-		
+
+		# read headers
+		buf = readline().strip()
+		while buf != "":
+			if buf[0:10] == "encoding ":
+				self.encoding = buf[buf.find(' ')+1:]
+			elif buf[0:7] == "gpgsig ":
+				sig = buf[buf.find(' ')+1:] + "\n"
+				while True:
+					sig += readline()
+					if sig.find("END PGP SIGNATURE") > -1: break
+				self.gpgsig = sig
+			buf = readline().strip()
+
 		# decode the authors name
 		try:
 			self.author.name = self.author.name.decode(self.encoding)