diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES.md b/RELEASE_NOTES.md
index 298cd0fc21..830eb0b130 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES.md
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ A new header is inserted each time a *tag* is created.
 
 # Release notes
 
+- Added `getMaterialInstanceAt` to the Java version of RenderableManager.
 - Fix JNI bindings for setting values in parameter arrays.
 - Added JNI bindings for the gltfio library.
 - Fix support for parameter arrays in `.mat` files.
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/RenderableManager.cpp b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/RenderableManager.cpp
index 18e722be7e..4f03667b5b 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/RenderableManager.cpp
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/RenderableManager.cpp
@@ -299,6 +299,21 @@ Java_com_google_android_filament_RenderableManager_nSetMaterialInstanceAt(JNIEnv
             materialInstance);
 }
 
+extern "C" JNIEXPORT long JNICALL
+Java_com_google_android_filament_RenderableManager_nGetMaterialInstanceAt(JNIEnv*, jclass,
+        jlong nativeRenderableManager, jint i, jint primitiveIndex) {
+    RenderableManager *rm = (RenderableManager *) nativeRenderableManager;
+    return (long) rm->getMaterialInstanceAt((RenderableManager::Instance) i, (size_t) primitiveIndex);
+}
+
+extern "C" JNIEXPORT long JNICALL
+Java_com_google_android_filament_RenderableManager_nGetMaterialAt(JNIEnv*, jclass,
+        jlong nativeRenderableManager, jint i, jint primitiveIndex) {
+    RenderableManager *rm = (RenderableManager *) nativeRenderableManager;
+    MaterialInstance *mi = rm->getMaterialInstanceAt((RenderableManager::Instance) i, (size_t) primitiveIndex);
+    return (long) mi->getMaterial();
+}
+
 extern "C" JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
 Java_com_google_android_filament_RenderableManager_nSetGeometryAt__JIIIJJII(JNIEnv*,
         jclass, jlong nativeRenderableManager, jint i, jint primitiveIndex, jint primitiveType,
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Material.java b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Material.java
index 67b58205c8..7035846727 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Material.java
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Material.java
@@ -134,8 +134,9 @@ public class Material {
         }
     }
 
-    private Material(long nativeMaterial, long nativeDefaultInstance) {
+    Material(long nativeMaterial) {
         mNativeObject = nativeMaterial;
+        long nativeDefaultInstance = nGetDefaultInstance(nativeMaterial);
         mDefaultInstance = new MaterialInstance(this, nativeDefaultInstance);
     }
 
@@ -154,8 +155,7 @@ public class Material {
         public Material build(@NonNull Engine engine) {
             long nativeMaterial = nBuilderBuild(engine.getNativeObject(), mBuffer, mSize);
             if (nativeMaterial == 0) throw new IllegalStateException("Couldn't create Material");
-            long nativeDefaultInstance = nGetDefaultInstance(nativeMaterial);
-            return new Material(nativeMaterial, nativeDefaultInstance);
+            return new Material(nativeMaterial);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/MaterialInstance.java b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/MaterialInstance.java
index 1831e1d761..8d1a5e06da 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/MaterialInstance.java
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/MaterialInstance.java
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@ import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.support.annotation.Size;
 
 public class MaterialInstance {
-    private final Material mMaterial;
+    private Material mMaterial;
     private long mNativeObject;
+    private long mNativeMaterial;
 
     public enum BooleanElement {
         BOOL,
@@ -52,8 +53,16 @@ public class MaterialInstance {
         mNativeObject = nativeMaterialInstance;
     }
 
+    MaterialInstance(long nativeMaterial, long nativeMaterialInstance) {
+        mNativeMaterial = nativeMaterial;
+        mNativeObject = nativeMaterialInstance;
+    }
+
     @NonNull
     public Material getMaterial() {
+        if (mMaterial == null) {
+            mMaterial = new Material(mNativeMaterial);
+        }
         return mMaterial;
     }
 
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/RenderableManager.java b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/RenderableManager.java
index 15e7b1f281..2060398f53 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/RenderableManager.java
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/RenderableManager.java
@@ -282,6 +282,14 @@ public class RenderableManager {
         nSetMaterialInstanceAt(mNativeObject, i, primitiveIndex, materialInstance.getNativeObject());
     }
 
+    // creates a MaterialInstance Java wrapper object for a particular material instance
+    public @NonNull MaterialInstance getMaterialInstanceAt(@EntityInstance int i,
+            @IntRange(from = 0) int primitiveIndex) {
+        long nativeMatInstance = nGetMaterialInstanceAt(mNativeObject, i, primitiveIndex);
+        long nativeMaterial = nGetMaterialAt(mNativeObject, i, primitiveIndex);
+        return new MaterialInstance(nativeMaterial, nativeMatInstance);
+    }
+
     // set/change the geometry (vertex/index buffers) of a given primitive
     public void setGeometryAt(@EntityInstance int i, @IntRange(from = 0) int primitiveIndex,
             @NonNull PrimitiveType type, @NonNull VertexBuffer vertices,
@@ -356,6 +364,8 @@ public class RenderableManager {
     private static native void nGetAxisAlignedBoundingBox(long nativeRenderableManager, int i, float[] center, float[] halfExtent);
     private static native int nGetPrimitiveCount(long nativeRenderableManager, int i);
     private static native void nSetMaterialInstanceAt(long nativeRenderableManager, int i, int primitiveIndex, long nativeMaterialInstance);
+    private static native long nGetMaterialInstanceAt(long nativeRenderableManager, int i, int primitiveIndex);
+    private static native long nGetMaterialAt(long nativeRenderableManager, int i, int primitiveIndex);
     private static native void nSetGeometryAt(long nativeRenderableManager, int i, int primitiveIndex, int primitiveType, long nativeVertexBuffer, long nativeIndexBuffer, int offset, int count);
     private static native void nSetGeometryAt(long nativeRenderableManager, int i, int primitiveIndex, int primitiveType, int offset, int count);
     private static native void nSetBlendOrderAt(long nativeRenderableManager, int i, int primitiveIndex, int blendOrder);