diff --git a/drawBot/context/baseContext.py b/drawBot/context/baseContext.py
index dbc6923c..6a2f759e 100644
--- a/drawBot/context/baseContext.py
+++ b/drawBot/context/baseContext.py
@@ -1905,8 +1905,20 @@ def listNamedInstances(self, fontNameOrPath: SomePath | None = None, fontNumber:
         """
         if fontNameOrPath is None:
             fontNameOrPath = self._font
-        font = getNSFontFromNameOrPath(fontNameOrPath, 10, fontNumber)
-        return variation.getNamedInstancesForFont(font)
+        if not os.path.exists(fontNameOrPath):
+            # the font is installed
+            font = getNSFontFromNameOrPath(fontNameOrPath, 10, fontNumber)
+            # get the url from the font descriptor
+            url = CoreText.CTFontDescriptorCopyAttribute(font.fontDescriptor(), CoreText.kCTFontURLAttribute)
+            if url is None:
+                return dict()
+            else:
+                path = url.path()
+        else:
+            path = fontNameOrPath
+
+        descriptors = getFontDescriptorsFromPath(path)
+        return variation.getNamedInstancesForDescriptors(descriptors)
 
     def tabs(self, tab: tuple[float, str] | None, *tabs: tuple[float, str]):
         """
@@ -3013,8 +3025,11 @@ def _getNSFontFromNameOrPath(fontNameOrPath, fontSize, fontNumber):
 
 @memoize
 def getFontDescriptorsFromPath(fontPath):
-    modTime = os.stat(fontPath).st_mtime
-    prevModTime, descriptors = _reloadedFontDescriptors.get(fontPath, (modTime, None))
+    if os.path.exists(fontPath):
+        modTime = os.stat(fontPath).st_mtime
+    else:
+        modTime = -1
+    prevModTime, descriptors = _reloadedFontDescriptors.get(fontPath, (modTime, ()))
     if modTime == prevModTime:
         if not descriptors:
             # Load font from disk, letting the OS handle caching and loading
@@ -3032,7 +3047,7 @@ def getFontDescriptorsFromPath(fontPath):
         data = AppKit.NSData.dataWithContentsOfFile_(fontPath)
         descriptors = CoreText.CTFontManagerCreateFontDescriptorsFromData(data)
         _reloadedFontDescriptors[fontPath] = modTime, descriptors
-    return descriptors
+    return tuple(descriptors)
 
 
 def getFontName(font) -> str | None:
diff --git a/drawBot/context/tools/variation.py b/drawBot/context/tools/variation.py
index 8b15ad99..72d01f5a 100644
--- a/drawBot/context/tools/variation.py
+++ b/drawBot/context/tools/variation.py
@@ -49,43 +49,33 @@ def getVariationAxesForFont(font):
 
 
 @memoize
-def getNamedInstancesForFont(font):
+def getNamedInstancesForDescriptors(descriptors):
     """
     Return a dict { postscriptName: location } of all named instances in a given font.
     """
-    instances = OrderedDict()
-    if font is None:
-        return instances
-    fontDescriptor = font.fontDescriptor()
-    url = CoreText.CTFontDescriptorCopyAttribute(fontDescriptor, CoreText.kCTFontURLAttribute)
-    if url is None:
-        return instances
+    instances = dict()
 
-    variationAxesDescriptions = CoreText.CTFontCopyVariationAxes(font)
-    if variationAxesDescriptions is None:
-        # non-variable fonts have no named instances
-        return instances
-    tagNameMap = {}
-    for variationAxesDescription in variationAxesDescriptions:
-        tag = convertIntToVariationTag(variationAxesDescription[CoreText.kCTFontVariationAxisIdentifierKey])
-        name = variationAxesDescription[CoreText.kCTFontVariationAxisNameKey]
-        tagNameMap[tag] = name
+    for descriptor in descriptors:
+        # convert to a ctFont
+        font = CoreText.CTFontCreateWithFontDescriptor(descriptor, 10, None)
+        # get the default variation axes
+        variationAxesDescriptions = CoreText.CTFontCopyVariationAxes(font)
+
+        if variationAxesDescriptions is not None:
+            # variable fonts have named instances
+            fontVariation = CoreText.CTFontCopyVariation(font)
+            variationCoordinates = {}
 
-    ft = TTFont(url.path(), lazy=True, fontNumber=0)
-    if "fvar" in ft:
-        cgFont, _ = CoreText.CTFontCopyGraphicsFont(font, None)
-        fvar = ft["fvar"]
+            for variationAxesDescription in variationAxesDescriptions:
+                tag = convertIntToVariationTag(variationAxesDescription[CoreText.NSFontVariationAxisIdentifierKey])
+                variationCoordinates[tag] = variationAxesDescription[CoreText.NSFontVariationAxisDefaultValueKey]
 
-        for instance in fvar.instances:
-            fontVariations = dict()
-            for axis, value in instance.coordinates.items():
-                fontVariations[tagNameMap[axis]] = value
+            for fontVariationKey, fontVariationValue in fontVariation.items():
+                tag = convertIntToVariationTag(fontVariationKey)
+                variationCoordinates[tag] = fontVariationValue
 
-            varFont = CoreText.CGFontCreateCopyWithVariations(cgFont, fontVariations)
-            postScriptName = CoreText.CGFontCopyPostScriptName(varFont)
-            instances[postScriptName] = instance.coordinates
+            instances[descriptor.postscriptName()] = variationCoordinates
 
-    ft.close()
     return instances