diff --git a/ui/src/common/CoverImage.jsx b/ui/src/common/CoverImage.jsx
index 1de52bce1..e62fbcfcc 100644
--- a/ui/src/common/CoverImage.jsx
+++ b/ui/src/common/CoverImage.jsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
 import clsx from 'clsx'
 import { makeStyles } from '@material-ui/core/styles'
@@ -20,8 +21,14 @@ const useStyles = makeStyles({
     width: '100%',
     height: '100%',
   },
-  '@keyframes fadeIn': { from: { opacity: 0 }, to: { opacity: 1 } },
-  img: { animation: '$fadeIn 0.3s ease-in-out' },
+  img: {
+    opacity: 0,
+    transition: 'opacity 500ms ease-out',
+    '@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)': { transition: 'none' },
+  },
+  imgVisible: { opacity: 1 },
+  // Already-decoded blobs appear at once: fading them in would re-animate on every remount.
+  imgInstant: { opacity: 1, transition: 'none' },
 })
 
 // CoverImage renders an entity's cover through the shared useImageUrl blob cache, so it survives
@@ -38,10 +45,27 @@ export const CoverImage = ({
 }) => {
   const classes = useStyles()
   const url = record ? subsonic.getCoverArtUrl(record, size, square) : ''
-  const { imgUrl, loading } = useImageUrl(url)
+  const { imgUrl } = useImageUrl(url)
+
+  // A blob already cached when this instance mounted paints on the first frame, so it skips the
+  // fade; anything fetched later cross-fades over the blurhash.
+  const cachedOnMount = useRef(null)
+  if (cachedOnMount.current === null) {
+    cachedOnMount.current = !!imgUrl
+  }
+  const [decoded, setDecoded] = useState(false)
+  const [faded, setFaded] = useState(false)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setDecoded(false)
+    setFaded(false)
+  }, [url])
+
   if (!record) return null
 
-  const showBlurHash = loading && record.blurHash
+  const instant = cachedOnMount.current
+  // The blurhash stays mounted under the image until the fade ends. Swapping them the moment the
+  // blob arrives would expose the empty container for the length of the fade.
+  const showBlurHash = !!record.blurHash && !instant && !faded
   const handleClick = imgUrl && onClick ? onClick : undefined
   return (
     <div
@@ -57,8 +81,16 @@ export const CoverImage = ({
           src={imgUrl}
           alt={title}
           title={title}
-          className={clsx(classes.fill, classes.img)}
+          className={clsx(
+            classes.fill,
+            classes.img,
+            instant && classes.imgInstant,
+            decoded && classes.imgVisible,
+          )}
           style={{ objectFit: fit }}
+          // Fading on decode, not on mount, keeps the image from ramping up before it can paint.
+          onLoad={() => setDecoded(true)}
+          onTransitionEnd={() => setFaded(true)}
         />
       )}
     </div>
diff --git a/ui/src/common/CoverImage.test.jsx b/ui/src/common/CoverImage.test.jsx
index 0cc44223e..9d244db63 100644
--- a/ui/src/common/CoverImage.test.jsx
+++ b/ui/src/common/CoverImage.test.jsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { render } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { render, fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react'
 import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 
 vi.mock('./useImageUrl', () => ({ useImageUrl: vi.fn() }))
@@ -53,6 +53,41 @@ describe('CoverImage', () => {
     expect(img.getAttribute('src')).toBe('blob:abc')
   })
 
+  it('keeps the blurhash under the image until the fade ends', () => {
+    useImageUrl.mockReturnValue({ imgUrl: null, loading: true })
+    const { container, rerender } = render(<CoverImage record={withArt} />)
+
+    // Blob arrives: the image mounts transparent, with the blurhash still behind it.
+    useImageUrl.mockReturnValue({ imgUrl: 'blob:abc', loading: false })
+    rerender(<CoverImage record={withArt} />)
+    const img = container.querySelector('img')
+    expect(img).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(container.querySelector('canvas')).not.toBeNull()
+
+    // Decoding starts the cross-fade; the blurhash only goes away once it finishes.
+    fireEvent.load(img)
+    expect(container.querySelector('canvas')).not.toBeNull()
+    fireEvent.transitionEnd(img)
+    expect(container.querySelector('canvas')).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('does not fade an image that was already cached on mount', () => {
+    useImageUrl.mockReturnValue({ imgUrl: 'blob:abc', loading: false })
+    const { container } = render(<CoverImage record={withArt} />)
+    // No placeholder to cross-fade from, so it paints at once.
+    expect(container.querySelector('canvas')).toBeNull()
+    expect(container.querySelector('img').className).toContain('imgInstant')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the blurhash visible when the image never decodes', () => {
+    useImageUrl.mockReturnValue({ imgUrl: null, loading: true })
+    const { container, rerender } = render(<CoverImage record={withArt} />)
+    useImageUrl.mockReturnValue({ imgUrl: 'blob:abc', loading: false })
+    rerender(<CoverImage record={withArt} />)
+
+    expect(container.querySelector('canvas')).not.toBeNull()
+  })
+
   it('fires onClick only when the image is loaded', () => {
     const onClick = vi.fn()
     useImageUrl.mockReturnValue({ imgUrl: null, loading: true })