diff --git a/cockatrice/src/interface/theme_icon.cpp b/cockatrice/src/interface/theme_icon.cpp
index d85e84f87..9c04929ba 100644
--- a/cockatrice/src/interface/theme_icon.cpp
+++ b/cockatrice/src/interface/theme_icon.cpp
@@ -256,9 +256,21 @@ private:
 
     QPixmap fromAsset(const QSize &pixelSize, QIcon::Mode mode) const
     {
-        QPixmap pixmap(QStringLiteral("theme:") + resolvedPath);
-        if (!pixelSize.isEmpty() && pixmap.size() != pixelSize) {
-            pixmap = pixmap.scaled(pixelSize, Qt::KeepAspectRatio, Qt::SmoothTransformation);
+        QPixmap pixmap;
+        if (resolvedAssetIsSvg) {
+            // Render authored SVG art through QSvgRenderer rather than QPixmap.
+            // Loading an `.svg` through QPixmap needs Qt's SVG *image-format*
+            // plugin, which is a separate package on Linux distributions and is
+            // absent from minimal installs and from CI (it is a Recommends of
+            // qt6-svg-dev, so `--no-install-recommends` drops it). Art a theme
+            // ships must not disappear because of a packaging choice, and the
+            // renderer is already linked for the sentinel path.
+            pixmap = renderSvg(resolvedSvg, pixelSize.isEmpty() ? intrinsicSize() : pixelSize, 1.0);
+        } else {
+            pixmap = QPixmap(QStringLiteral("theme:") + resolvedPath);
+            if (!pixelSize.isEmpty() && pixmap.size() != pixelSize) {
+                pixmap = pixmap.scaled(pixelSize, Qt::KeepAspectRatio, Qt::SmoothTransformation);
+            }
         }
         if (mode == QIcon::Disabled && !pixmap.isNull()) {
             pixmap = QApplication::style()->generatedIconPixmap(QIcon::Disabled, pixmap, nullptr);
diff --git a/tests/theme_migration/theme_icon_render_test.cpp b/tests/theme_migration/theme_icon_render_test.cpp
index c03b91703..f9f4d669c 100644
--- a/tests/theme_migration/theme_icon_render_test.cpp
+++ b/tests/theme_migration/theme_icon_render_test.cpp
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <QApplication>
 #include <QByteArray>
 #include <QColor>
+#include <QCoreApplication>
 #include <QDir>
 #include <QFile>
 #include <QFont>
@@ -478,6 +479,61 @@ TEST_F(ThemeIconRenderTest, SentinelSvgBadgeMatchesTheEngine)
     EXPECT_GT(countOpaquePixels(pixmap, ThemeIconBadge::glyphColor(tone)), 0);
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Hides Qt's plugin directories while it lives, then restores them.
+ *
+ * Only the image-format plugins matter here: the platform plugin the fixture
+ * needs is already loaded by the time a test runs.
+ */
+class ScopedPluginPathHiding
+{
+public:
+    ScopedPluginPathHiding() : saved(QCoreApplication::libraryPaths())
+    {
+        QCoreApplication::setLibraryPaths({});
+    }
+    ~ScopedPluginPathHiding()
+    {
+        QCoreApplication::setLibraryPaths(saved);
+    }
+    ScopedPluginPathHiding(const ScopedPluginPathHiding &) = delete;
+    ScopedPluginPathHiding &operator=(const ScopedPluginPathHiding &) = delete;
+
+private:
+    QStringList saved;
+};
+
+/**
+ * @brief Authored SVG art must not depend on Qt's SVG image-format plugin.
+ *
+ * Loading an `.svg` through QPixmap needs the separate `qsvg` image plugin.
+ * Distributions that build Qt with the plugin split out (Debian, and therefore
+ * CI) ship it in its own package, and a `--no-install-recommends` install does
+ * not have it, so authored theme art rendered blank there while working on a
+ * developer machine whose Qt bundles the format. Hiding the plugin directories
+ * reproduces that install.
+ */
+TEST_F(ThemeIconRenderTest, AuthoredArtDoesNotNeedTheSvgImagePlugin)
+{
+    QTemporaryDir themeDir;
+    ASSERT_TRUE(themeDir.isValid());
+    QFile file(QDir(themeDir.path()).absoluteFilePath(QStringLiteral("plain.svg")));
+    ASSERT_TRUE(file.open(QIODevice::WriteOnly));
+    file.write(svgWith("#336699"));
+    file.close();
+    QDir::addSearchPath(QStringLiteral("theme"), themeDir.path());
+
+    // The offscreen platform plugin is already loaded by the fixture, so an
+    // empty library path only removes the image-format plugins.
+    const ScopedPluginPathHiding hidePlugins;
+
+    const QIcon icon = loadThemedIcon(QStringLiteral("plain"));
+    const QPixmap pixmap = icon.pixmap(QSize(32, 32));
+
+    ASSERT_FALSE(pixmap.isNull()) << "authored SVG art went through the QPixmap loader";
+    EXPECT_GT(countOpaquePixels(pixmap, QColor(QStringLiteral("#336699"))), 0);
+}
+
 /** @brief Badge never paints authored art: the asset keeps its own colors. */
 TEST_F(ThemeIconRenderTest, BadgeOnAuthoredArtUsesTheAssetPath)
 {