diff --git a/example/eigen.cpp b/example/eigen.cpp
index 728b575fd..9c33c551e 100644
--- a/example/eigen.cpp
+++ b/example/eigen.cpp
@@ -56,6 +56,16 @@ void init_eigen(py::module &m) {
     m.def("cholesky5", &cholesky5);
     m.def("cholesky6", &cholesky6);
 
+    // Returns diagonals: a vector-like object with an inner stride != 1
+    m.def("diagonal", [](const Eigen::Ref<const Eigen::MatrixXd> &x) { return x.diagonal(); });
+    m.def("diagonal_1", [](const Eigen::Ref<const Eigen::MatrixXd> &x) { return x.diagonal<1>(); });
+    m.def("diagonal_n", [](const Eigen::Ref<const Eigen::MatrixXd> &x, int index) { return x.diagonal(index); });
+
+    // Return a block of a matrix (gives non-standard strides)
+    m.def("block", [](const Eigen::Ref<const Eigen::MatrixXd> &x, int start_row, int start_col, int block_rows, int block_cols) {
+        return x.block(start_row, start_col, block_rows, block_cols);
+    });
+
     m.def("fixed_r", [mat]() -> FixedMatrixR { 
         return FixedMatrixR(mat);
     });
diff --git a/example/eigen.py b/example/eigen.py
index 6cdc3940b..04078b9d9 100644
--- a/example/eigen.py
+++ b/example/eigen.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ from example import sparse_passthrough_r, sparse_passthrough_c
 from example import double_row, double_col
 from example import double_mat_cm, double_mat_rm
 from example import cholesky1, cholesky2, cholesky3, cholesky4, cholesky5, cholesky6
+from example import diagonal, diagonal_1, diagonal_n
+from example import block
 try:
     import numpy as np
     import scipy
@@ -78,3 +80,11 @@ for chol in [cholesky1, cholesky2, cholesky3, cholesky4, cholesky5, cholesky6]:
     print("cholesky" + str(i) + " " + ("OK" if (mymat == np.array([[1,0,0], [2,3,0], [4,5,6]])).all() else "NOT OKAY"))
     i += 1
 
+print("diagonal() %s" % ("OK" if (diagonal(ref) == ref.diagonal()).all() else "FAILED"))
+print("diagonal_1() %s" % ("OK" if (diagonal_1(ref) == ref.diagonal(1)).all() else "FAILED"))
+for i in range(-5, 7):
+    print("diagonal_n(%d) %s" % (i, "OK" if (diagonal_n(ref, i) == ref.diagonal(i)).all() else "FAILED"))
+
+print("block(2,1,3,3) %s" % ("OK" if (block(ref, 2, 1, 3, 3) == ref[2:5, 1:4]).all() else "FAILED"))
+print("block(1,4,4,2) %s" % ("OK" if (block(ref, 1, 4, 4, 2) == ref[1:, 4:]).all() else "FAILED"))
+print("block(1,4,3,2) %s" % ("OK" if (block(ref, 1, 4, 3, 2) == ref[1:4, 4:]).all() else "FAILED"))
diff --git a/example/eigen.ref b/example/eigen.ref
index 93e88adb9..8ccd1f472 100644
--- a/example/eigen.ref
+++ b/example/eigen.ref
@@ -33,3 +33,20 @@ cholesky3 OK
 cholesky4 OK
 cholesky5 OK
 cholesky6 OK
+diagonal() OK
+diagonal_1() OK
+diagonal_n(-5) OK
+diagonal_n(-4) OK
+diagonal_n(-3) OK
+diagonal_n(-2) OK
+diagonal_n(-1) OK
+diagonal_n(0) OK
+diagonal_n(1) OK
+diagonal_n(2) OK
+diagonal_n(3) OK
+diagonal_n(4) OK
+diagonal_n(5) OK
+diagonal_n(6) OK
+block(2,1,3,3) OK
+block(1,4,4,2) OK
+block(1,4,3,2) OK
diff --git a/include/pybind11/eigen.h b/include/pybind11/eigen.h
index b9f22b049..16ccaa845 100644
--- a/include/pybind11/eigen.h
+++ b/include/pybind11/eigen.h
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ public:
     static constexpr bool value = decltype(test(std::declval<T>()))::value;
 };
 
-// Eigen::Ref<Derived> satisfies is_eigen_dense, but isn't constructible, which means we can't load
-// it (since there is no reference!), but we can cast from it.
+// Eigen::Ref<Derived> satisfies is_eigen_dense, but isn't constructible, so it needs a special
+// type_caster to handle argument copying/forwarding.
 template <typename T> class is_eigen_ref {
 private:
     template<typename Derived> static typename std::enable_if<
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ struct type_caster<Type, typename std::enable_if<is_eigen_dense<Type>::value &&
                 /* Buffer dimensions */
                 { (size_t) src.size() },
                 /* Strides (in bytes) for each index */
-                { sizeof(Scalar) }
+                { sizeof(Scalar) * src.innerStride() }
             )).release();
         } else {
             return array(buffer_info(
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ struct type_caster<Type, typename std::enable_if<is_eigen_dense<Type>::value &&
                 { (size_t) src.rows(),
                   (size_t) src.cols() },
                 /* Strides (in bytes) for each index */
-                { sizeof(Scalar) * (rowMajor ? (size_t) src.cols() : 1),
-                  sizeof(Scalar) * (rowMajor ? 1 : (size_t) src.rows()) }
+                { sizeof(Scalar) * src.rowStride(),
+                  sizeof(Scalar) * src.colStride() }
             )).release();
         }
     }