diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_colors.py b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_colors.py
index e81dbd23afaf..15c7137e2966 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_colors.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_colors.py
@@ -258,7 +258,6 @@ def test_light_source_topo_surface():
             ax.set(xticks=[], yticks=[])
 
 
-@knownfailureif(V(np.__version__) >= V('1.9.0'))
 def test_light_source_shading_default():
     """Array comparison test for the default "hsv" blend mode. Ensure the
     default result doesn't change without warning."""
@@ -305,11 +304,20 @@ def test_light_source_shading_default():
                         [1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00],
                         [1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00],
                         [1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00]]]).T
+    if (V(np.__version__) == V('1.9.0')):
+        # Numpy 1.9.0 uses a 2. order algorithm on the edges by default
+        # This was changed back again in 1.9.1
+        expect = expect[1:-1, 1:-1, :]
+        rgb = rgb[1:-1, 1:-1, :]
+
     assert_array_almost_equal(rgb, expect, decimal=2)
 
 
-@knownfailureif(V(np.__version__) >= V('1.9.0') or
-                V(np.__version__) < V('1.7.0'))
+@knownfailureif((V(np.__version__) <= V('1.9.0')
+                and V(np.__version__) >= V('1.7.0')))
+# Numpy 1.9.1 fixed a bug in masked arrays which resulted in
+# additional elements being masked when calculating the gradient thus
+# the output is different with earlier numpy versions.
 def test_light_source_masked_shading():
     """Array comparison test for a surface with a masked portion. Ensures that
     we don't wind up with "fringes" of odd colors around masked regions."""
@@ -323,32 +331,32 @@ def test_light_source_masked_shading():
     rgb = ls.shade(z, cmap)
 
     # Result stored transposed and rounded for for more compact display...
-    expect = np.array([[[1.00, 0.95, 0.96, 0.94, 0.86, 0.67, 0.40, 0.03],
-                        [0.95, 0.99, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 0.98, 0.67, 0.19],
-                        [0.96, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 0.78, 0.36],
-                        [0.94, 1.00, 1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00, 0.55, 0.32],
-                        [0.86, 1.00, 1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00, 0.27, 0.14],
-                        [0.67, 0.98, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 0.07, 0.03],
-                        [0.40, 0.67, 0.78, 0.55, 0.27, 0.07, 0.00, 0.01],
-                        [0.03, 0.19, 0.36, 0.32, 0.14, 0.03, 0.01, 0.00]],
-
-                       [[1.00, 0.93, 0.93, 0.88, 0.72, 0.50, 0.28, 0.03],
-                        [0.93, 0.97, 0.99, 0.96, 0.87, 0.70, 0.42, 0.11],
-                        [0.93, 0.99, 0.74, 0.78, 0.78, 0.74, 0.45, 0.20],
-                        [0.88, 0.96, 0.78, 0.00, 0.00, 0.78, 0.32, 0.16],
-                        [0.72, 0.87, 0.78, 0.00, 0.00, 0.78, 0.14, 0.06],
-                        [0.50, 0.70, 0.74, 0.78, 0.78, 0.74, 0.03, 0.01],
-                        [0.28, 0.42, 0.45, 0.32, 0.14, 0.03, 0.00, 0.00],
-                        [0.03, 0.11, 0.20, 0.16, 0.06, 0.01, 0.00, 0.00]],
-
-                       [[1.00, 0.91, 0.91, 0.84, 0.64, 0.39, 0.21, 0.03],
-                        [0.91, 0.96, 0.98, 0.93, 0.77, 0.53, 0.27, 0.06],
-                        [0.91, 0.98, 0.47, 0.50, 0.50, 0.47, 0.25, 0.10],
-                        [0.84, 0.93, 0.50, 0.00, 0.00, 0.50, 0.13, 0.06],
-                        [0.64, 0.77, 0.50, 0.00, 0.00, 0.50, 0.03, 0.01],
-                        [0.39, 0.53, 0.47, 0.50, 0.50, 0.47, 0.00, 0.00],
-                        [0.21, 0.27, 0.25, 0.13, 0.03, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00],
-                        [0.03, 0.06, 0.10, 0.06, 0.01, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00]],
+    expect = np.array([[[0.90, 0.88, 0.91, 0.91, 0.84, 0.64, 0.36, 0.00],
+                        [0.88, 0.96, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 0.97, 0.64, 0.18],
+                        [0.91, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 0.74, 0.34],
+                        [0.91, 1.00, 1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00, 0.52, 0.30],
+                        [0.84, 1.00, 1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00, 0.25, 0.13],
+                        [0.64, 0.97, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 0.23, 0.07, 0.03],
+                        [0.36, 0.64, 0.74, 0.52, 0.25, 0.07, 0.00, 0.01],
+                        [0.00, 0.18, 0.34, 0.30, 0.13, 0.03, 0.01, 0.00]],
+
+                       [[0.90, 0.82, 0.85, 0.82, 0.68, 0.46, 0.24, 0.00],
+                        [0.82, 0.91, 0.95, 0.93, 0.85, 0.68, 0.39, 0.10],
+                        [0.85, 0.95, 1.00, 0.78, 0.78, 0.77, 0.42, 0.18],
+                        [0.82, 0.93, 0.78, 0.00, 0.00, 0.78, 0.30, 0.15],
+                        [0.68, 0.85, 0.78, 0.00, 0.00, 0.78, 0.13, 0.06],
+                        [0.46, 0.68, 0.77, 0.78, 0.78, 0.13, 0.03, 0.01],
+                        [0.24, 0.39, 0.42, 0.30, 0.13, 0.03, 0.00, 0.00],
+                        [0.00, 0.10, 0.18, 0.15, 0.06, 0.01, 0.00, 0.00]],
+
+                       [[0.90, 0.79, 0.81, 0.76, 0.58, 0.35, 0.17, 0.00],
+                        [0.79, 0.88, 0.92, 0.88, 0.73, 0.50, 0.24, 0.05],
+                        [0.81, 0.92, 1.00, 0.50, 0.50, 0.53, 0.22, 0.09],
+                        [0.76, 0.88, 0.50, 0.00, 0.00, 0.50, 0.12, 0.05],
+                        [0.58, 0.73, 0.50, 0.00, 0.00, 0.50, 0.03, 0.01],
+                        [0.35, 0.50, 0.53, 0.50, 0.50, 0.02, 0.00, 0.00],
+                        [0.17, 0.24, 0.22, 0.12, 0.03, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00],
+                        [0.00, 0.05, 0.09, 0.05, 0.01, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00]],
 
                        [[1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00],
                         [1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00],
@@ -358,6 +366,7 @@ def test_light_source_masked_shading():
                         [1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00],
                         [1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00],
                         [1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1.00]]]).T
+
     assert_array_almost_equal(rgb, expect, decimal=2)