diff --git a/python/core/qgsrect.sip b/python/core/qgsrect.sip
index 66c6065e2fc..b57add911c0 100644
--- a/python/core/qgsrect.sip
+++ b/python/core/qgsrect.sip
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ class QgsRectangle
     QgsRectangle intersect(QgsRectangle *rect);
     //! returns true when rectangle intersects with other rectangle
     bool intersects(const QgsRectangle& rect) const;
+    //! return true when rectangle contains other rectangle
+    //! @note added in version 1.1
+    bool contains( const QgsRectangle& rect ) const;
     //! expand the rectangle so that covers both the original rectangle and the given rectangle
     void combineExtentWith(QgsRectangle *rect);
     //! expand the rectangle so that covers both the original rectangle and the given point
diff --git a/src/core/qgsrectangle.cpp b/src/core/qgsrectangle.cpp
index bebe83bbe55..9816d292d44 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsrectangle.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsrectangle.cpp
@@ -156,6 +156,11 @@ bool QgsRectangle::intersects( const QgsRectangle& rect ) const
   return TRUE;
 }
 
+bool QgsRectangle::contains( const QgsRectangle& rect ) const
+{
+  return (rect.xmin >= xmin && rect.xmax <= xmax && rect.ymin >= ymin && rect.ymax <= ymax);
+}
+
 
 void QgsRectangle::combineExtentWith( QgsRectangle * rect )
 {
diff --git a/src/core/qgsrectangle.h b/src/core/qgsrectangle.h
index 97c5b8c5b1f..0f9a03a38cd 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsrectangle.h
+++ b/src/core/qgsrectangle.h
@@ -84,6 +84,9 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsRectangle
     QgsRectangle intersect( QgsRectangle *rect ) const;
     //! returns true when rectangle intersects with other rectangle
     bool intersects( const QgsRectangle& rect ) const;
+    //! return true when rectangle contains other rectangle
+    //! @note added in version 1.1
+    bool contains( const QgsRectangle& rect ) const;
     //! expand the rectangle so that covers both the original rectangle and the given rectangle
     void combineExtentWith( QgsRectangle *rect );
     //! expand the rectangle so that covers both the original rectangle and the given point