diff --git a/common/draw.c b/common/draw.c
index 10e5e52f0..e722cb41b 100644
--- a/common/draw.c
+++ b/common/draw.c
@@ -649,24 +649,22 @@ draw_get_image_size(const char *filename)
 
 /** Rotate a drawable
  * \param ctx Draw context to draw to
- * \param phys_screen physical screen id
+ * \param dest Drawable to draw the result
+ * \param dest_w Drawable width
+ * \param dest_h Drawable height
  * \param angle angle to rotate
  * \param tx translate to this x coordinate
  * \param ty translate to this y coordinate
  * \return new rotated drawable
  */
-Drawable
-draw_rotate(DrawCtx *ctx, int phys_screen, double angle, int tx, int ty)
+void
+draw_rotate(DrawCtx *ctx, Drawable dest, int dest_w, int dest_h,
+            double angle, int tx, int ty)
 {
     cairo_surface_t *surface, *source;
     cairo_t *cr;
-    Drawable newdrawable;
 
-    newdrawable = XCreatePixmap(ctx->display,
-                                RootWindow(ctx->display, phys_screen),
-                                ctx->height, ctx->width,
-                                ctx->depth);
-    surface = cairo_xlib_surface_create(ctx->display, newdrawable, ctx->visual, ctx->height, ctx->width);
+    surface = cairo_xlib_surface_create(ctx->display, dest, ctx->visual, dest_w, dest_h);
     source = cairo_xlib_surface_create(ctx->display, ctx->drawable, ctx->visual, ctx->width, ctx->height);
     cr = cairo_create (surface);
 
@@ -679,8 +677,6 @@ draw_rotate(DrawCtx *ctx, int phys_screen, double angle, int tx, int ty)
     cairo_destroy(cr);
     cairo_surface_destroy(source);
     cairo_surface_destroy(surface);
-
-    return newdrawable;
 }
 
 /** Return the width of a text in pixel
diff --git a/common/draw.h b/common/draw.h
index 4d2e2afbb..2a49a159c 100644
--- a/common/draw.h
+++ b/common/draw.h
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ void draw_circle(DrawCtx *, int, int, int, Bool, XColor);
 void draw_image(DrawCtx *, int, int, int, const char *);
 void draw_image_from_argb_data(DrawCtx *, int, int, int, int, int, unsigned char *);
 area_t draw_get_image_size(const char *filename);
-Drawable draw_rotate(DrawCtx *, int, double, int, int);
+void draw_rotate(DrawCtx *, Drawable, int, int, double, int, int);
 unsigned short draw_textwidth(Display *, font_t *, char *);
 Alignment draw_align_get_from_str(const char *);
 Bool draw_color_new(Display *, int, const char *, XColor *);
diff --git a/statusbar.c b/statusbar.c
index 8b45b521f..954b84a78 100644
--- a/statusbar.c
+++ b/statusbar.c
@@ -107,11 +107,9 @@ statusbar_position_update(Statusbar *statusbar)
 static void
 statusbar_draw(Statusbar *statusbar)
 {
-    int phys_screen = get_phys_screen(statusbar->screen);
     Widget *widget;
     int left = 0, right = 0;
     area_t rectangle = { 0, 0, 0, 0, NULL, NULL };
-    Drawable d;
 
     rectangle.width = statusbar->width;
     rectangle.height = statusbar->height;
@@ -145,16 +143,14 @@ statusbar_draw(Statusbar *statusbar)
     switch(statusbar->position)
     {
         case Right:
-          d = draw_rotate(statusbar->ctx, phys_screen, M_PI_2,
-                          statusbar->height, 0);
-          XFreePixmap(globalconf.display, statusbar->sw->drawable);
-          statusbar->sw->drawable = d;
+          draw_rotate(statusbar->ctx, statusbar->sw->drawable,
+                      statusbar->ctx->height, statusbar->ctx->width,
+                      M_PI_2, statusbar->height, 0);
           break;
         case Left:
-          d = draw_rotate(statusbar->ctx, phys_screen, - M_PI_2,
-                          0, statusbar->width);
-          XFreePixmap(globalconf.display, statusbar->sw->drawable);
-          statusbar->sw->drawable = d;
+          draw_rotate(statusbar->ctx, statusbar->sw->drawable,
+                      statusbar->ctx->height, statusbar->ctx->width,
+                      - M_PI_2, 0, statusbar->width);
           break;
         default:
           break;
diff --git a/titlebar.c b/titlebar.c
index 46e53168a..2ca9450f0 100644
--- a/titlebar.c
+++ b/titlebar.c
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ titlebar_init(Client *c)
 void
 titlebar_update(Client *c)
 {
-    Drawable d;
     DrawCtx *ctx;
     style_t style;
     area_t geometry;
@@ -136,16 +135,12 @@ titlebar_update(Client *c)
     switch(c->titlebar.position)
     {
       case Left:
-        d = draw_rotate(ctx, c->titlebar.sw->phys_screen, - M_PI_2,
-                        0, c->titlebar.sw->geometry.height);
-        XFreePixmap(globalconf.display, c->titlebar.sw->drawable);
-        c->titlebar.sw->drawable = d;
+        draw_rotate(ctx, c->titlebar.sw->drawable, ctx->height, ctx->width,
+                    - M_PI_2, 0, c->titlebar.sw->geometry.height);
         break;
       case Right:
-        d = draw_rotate(ctx, c->titlebar.sw->phys_screen, M_PI_2,
-                        c->titlebar.sw->geometry.width, 0);
-        XFreePixmap(globalconf.display, c->titlebar.sw->drawable);
-        c->titlebar.sw->drawable = d;
+        draw_rotate(ctx, c->titlebar.sw->drawable, ctx->height, ctx->width,
+                    M_PI_2, c->titlebar.sw->geometry.width, 0);
       default:
         break;
     }