diff --git a/src/objects/bytearray.rs b/src/objects/bytearray.rs
index 1a453f67..ddfc7ecb 100644
--- a/src/objects/bytearray.rs
+++ b/src/objects/bytearray.rs
@@ -77,7 +77,6 @@ impl PyByteArray {
 mod test {
     use exc;
     use python::Python;
-    use typeob::PyTypeObject;
     use objects::{PyObject, PyByteArray};
 
     #[test]
@@ -100,7 +99,7 @@ mod test {
 
         let none = py.None();
         if let Err(mut err) = PyByteArray::from(py, &none) {
-            assert!(exc::TypeError::type_object(py).is_instance(py, &err.instance(py)))
+            assert!(py.is_instance::<exc::TypeError>(&err.instance(py)).unwrap())
         } else {
             panic!("error");
         }
diff --git a/src/objects/typeobject.rs b/src/objects/typeobject.rs
index d0f806ef..f6de0757 100644
--- a/src/objects/typeobject.rs
+++ b/src/objects/typeobject.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ use ffi;
 use pointers::PyPtr;
 use python::{Python, ToPyPointer};
 use objects::PyObject;
+use err::{PyErr, PyResult};
+use typeob::PyTypeObject;
 
 /// Represents a reference to a Python type object.
 pub struct PyType(PyPtr);
@@ -39,16 +41,34 @@ impl PyType {
         }
     }
 
-    /// Return true if `self` is a subtype of `b`.
-    #[inline]
-    pub fn is_subtype_of(&self, _py: Python, b: &PyType) -> bool {
-        unsafe { ffi::PyType_IsSubtype(self.as_type_ptr(), b.as_type_ptr()) != 0 }
+    /// Check whether `self` is subclass of type `T` like Python `issubclass` function
+    pub fn is_subclass<T>(self, py: Python) -> PyResult<bool>
+        where T: PyTypeObject
+    {
+        let result = unsafe {
+            ffi::PyObject_IsSubclass(self.as_ptr(), T::type_object(py).as_ptr())
+        };
+        if result == -1 {
+            Err(PyErr::fetch(py))
+        } else if result == 1 {
+            Ok(true)
+        } else {
+            Ok(false)
+        }
     }
 
-    /// Return true if `obj` is an instance of `self`.
-    #[inline]
-    pub fn is_instance<T: ToPyPointer>(&self, _py: Python, obj: &T) -> bool {
-        unsafe { ffi::PyObject_TypeCheck(obj.as_ptr(), self.as_type_ptr()) != 0 }
+    // Check whether `obj` is an instance of `self`
+    pub fn is_instance<T: ToPyPointer>(self, py: Python, obj: &T) -> PyResult<bool> {
+        let result = unsafe {
+            ffi::PyObject_IsInstance(obj.as_ptr(), self.as_ptr())
+        };
+        if result == -1 {
+            Err(PyErr::fetch(py))
+        } else if result == 1 {
+            Ok(true)
+        } else {
+            Ok(false)
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/python.rs b/src/python.rs
index 10eadf78..83360ef7 100644
--- a/src/python.rs
+++ b/src/python.rs
@@ -255,11 +255,25 @@ impl<'p> Python<'p> {
             Err(e) => e.release(self)
         }
     }
+
+    /// Check whether `obj` is an instance of type `T` like Python `isinstance` function
+    pub fn is_instance<T: PyTypeObject>(self, obj: &PyObject) -> PyResult<bool> {
+        T::type_object(self).is_instance(self, obj)
+    }
+
+    /// Check whether type `T` is subclass of type `U` like Python `issubclass` function
+    pub fn is_subclass<T, U>(self) -> PyResult<bool>
+        where T: PyTypeObject,
+            U: PyTypeObject
+    {
+        T::type_object(self).is_subclass::<U>(self)
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
     use {Python, PyDict};
+    use objects::{PyBool, PyList, PyLong};
 
     #[test]
     fn test_eval() {
@@ -285,4 +299,22 @@ mod test {
         let v: i32 = py.eval("min(foo, 2)", None, Some(&d)).unwrap().extract(py).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(v, 2);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_is_instance() {
+        let gil = Python::acquire_gil();
+        let py = gil.python();
+        assert!(py.is_instance::<PyBool>(py.True().as_ref()).unwrap());
+        let list = PyList::new(py, &[1, 2, 3, 4]);
+        assert!(!py.is_instance::<PyBool>(list.as_ref()).unwrap());
+        assert!(py.is_instance::<PyList>(list.as_ref()).unwrap());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_is_subclass() {
+        let gil = Python::acquire_gil();
+        let py = gil.python();
+        assert!(py.is_subclass::<PyBool, PyLong>().unwrap());
+        assert!(!py.is_subclass::<PyBool, PyList>().unwrap());
+    }
 }