diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.ui.workbench/eclipseui/org/eclipse/ui/internal/registry/PerspectiveRegistry.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.ui.workbench/eclipseui/org/eclipse/ui/internal/registry/PerspectiveRegistry.java
index 46077dc7e92..edb82787e8c 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.ui.workbench/eclipseui/org/eclipse/ui/internal/registry/PerspectiveRegistry.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.ui.workbench/eclipseui/org/eclipse/ui/internal/registry/PerspectiveRegistry.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IExtension;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IExtensionPoint;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IExtensionRegistry;
+import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Platform;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.dynamichelpers.IExtensionChangeHandler;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.dynamichelpers.IExtensionTracker;
 import org.eclipse.e4.core.contexts.ContextInjectionFactory;
@@ -58,6 +59,9 @@
  */
 public class PerspectiveRegistry implements IPerspectiveRegistry, IExtensionChangeHandler {
 
+	private static final String PLATFORM_PLUGIN_PREFIX = "platform:/plugin/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+	private static final String PLATFORM_FRAGMENT_PREFIX = "platform:/fragment/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+
 	@Inject
 	private IExtensionRegistry extensionRegistry;
 
@@ -137,19 +141,49 @@ public void createDescriptor(MPerspective perspective) {
 		String id = perspective.getElementId();
 		PerspectiveDescriptor newDescriptor = new PerspectiveDescriptor(id, label, originalDescriptor);
 
-		if (perspective.getIconURI() != null) {
+		String iconURI = perspective.getIconURI();
+		if (iconURI != null && isIconAvailable(iconURI)) {
 			try {
-				ImageDescriptor img = ImageDescriptor.createFromURL(new URI(perspective.getIconURI()).toURL());
+				ImageDescriptor img = ImageDescriptor.createFromURL(new URI(iconURI).toURL());
 				newDescriptor.setImageDescriptor(img);
 			} catch (MalformedURLException | URISyntaxException | IllegalArgumentException e) {
 				logger.warn(e, MessageFormat.format("Error on applying configured perspective icon: {0}", //$NON-NLS-1$
-						perspective.getIconURI()));
+						iconURI));
 			}
 		}
 
 		descriptors.put(id, newDescriptor);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Tells whether the bundle a platform icon URI points to is installed. Loading
+	 * an icon of a missing bundle logs an error per attempt in the platform URL
+	 * layer.
+	 */
+	private boolean isIconAvailable(String iconURI) {
+		String reference = null;
+		for (String prefix : new String[] { PLATFORM_PLUGIN_PREFIX, PLATFORM_FRAGMENT_PREFIX }) {
+			if (iconURI.startsWith(prefix)) {
+				reference = iconURI.substring(prefix.length()).split("/", 2)[0]; //$NON-NLS-1$
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+		if (reference == null) {
+			return true;
+		}
+		if (Platform.getBundle(reference) != null) {
+			return true;
+		}
+		// the reference may carry a version, as in "com.example_1.0.0"
+		int underscore = reference.indexOf('_');
+		if (underscore > 0 && Platform.getBundle(reference.substring(0, underscore)) != null) {
+			return true;
+		}
+		logger.warn(MessageFormat.format("Skipping the perspective icon {0} of the not installed bundle {1}", //$NON-NLS-1$
+				iconURI, reference));
+		return false;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Construct a new registry.
 	 */
diff --git a/tests/org.eclipse.ui.tests/Eclipse UI Tests/org/eclipse/ui/tests/api/IPerspectiveRegistryTest.java b/tests/org.eclipse.ui.tests/Eclipse UI Tests/org/eclipse/ui/tests/api/IPerspectiveRegistryTest.java
index 6e3c65ed112..b82a72219f2 100644
--- a/tests/org.eclipse.ui.tests/Eclipse UI Tests/org/eclipse/ui/tests/api/IPerspectiveRegistryTest.java	
+++ b/tests/org.eclipse.ui.tests/Eclipse UI Tests/org/eclipse/ui/tests/api/IPerspectiveRegistryTest.java	
@@ -27,8 +27,10 @@
 import org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.modeling.EModelService;
 import org.eclipse.ui.IPerspectiveDescriptor;
 import org.eclipse.ui.IPerspectiveRegistry;
+import org.eclipse.ui.ISharedImages;
 import org.eclipse.ui.IWorkbenchPage;
 import org.eclipse.ui.PlatformUI;
+import org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchImages;
 import org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchWindow;
 import org.eclipse.ui.tests.harness.util.ArrayUtil;
 import org.junit.Before;
@@ -139,6 +141,43 @@ public void testModelPerspective() {
 		}
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * A perspective whose contributing bundle is gone must fall back to the default
+	 * icon instead of loading the one its model element names.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void testModelPerspectiveWithUninstalledIconBundle() {
+		WorkbenchWindow window = (WorkbenchWindow) PlatformUI.getWorkbench().getActiveWorkbenchWindow();
+		EModelService modelService = window.getService(EModelService.class);
+
+		List<MPerspectiveStack> stacks = modelService.findElements(window.getModel(), null, MPerspectiveStack.class);
+		assertFalse("expected a perspective stack in the active window", stacks.isEmpty());
+		MPerspectiveStack stack = stacks.get(0);
+
+		String id = "org.eclipse.ui.tests.perspectiveWithUninstalledIconBundle";
+		MPerspective perspective = modelService.createModelElement(MPerspective.class);
+		perspective.setElementId(id);
+		perspective.setLabel("Perspective With Uninstalled Icon Bundle");
+		perspective.setIconURI("platform:/plugin/org.eclipse.ui.tests.uninstalled/icons/missing.svg");
+		perspective.setToBeRendered(false);
+		stack.getChildren().add(perspective);
+
+		try {
+			fReg.getPerspectives(); // registers perspectives added to the model
+			IPerspectiveDescriptor descriptor = fReg.findPerspectiveWithId(id);
+			assertNotNull("model-contributed perspective must be resolvable by id", descriptor);
+			assertEquals("the default perspective icon must be used for an uninstalled bundle",
+					WorkbenchImages.getImageDescriptor(ISharedImages.IMG_ETOOL_DEF_PERSPECTIVE),
+					descriptor.getImageDescriptor());
+		} finally {
+			stack.getChildren().remove(perspective);
+			IPerspectiveDescriptor descriptor = fReg.findPerspectiveWithId(id);
+			if (descriptor != null) {
+				fReg.deletePerspective(descriptor);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	@Ignore
 	public void XXXtestDeleteClonedPerspective() {