diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/artist.py b/lib/matplotlib/artist.py
index b5bf943a4b2a..bfe994429f6c 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/artist.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/artist.py
@@ -350,11 +350,14 @@ def pick(self, mouseevent):
         for a in self.get_children():
             # make sure the event happened in the same axes
             ax = getattr(a, 'axes', None)
-            if mouseevent.inaxes is None or mouseevent.inaxes == ax:
+            if mouseevent.inaxes is None or ax is None or \
+                    mouseevent.inaxes == ax:
                 # we need to check if mouseevent.inaxes is None
                 # because some objects associated with an axes (e.g., a
                 # tick label) can be outside the bounding box of the
                 # axes and inaxes will be None
+                # also check that ax is None so that it traverse objects
+                # which do no have an axes property but children might
                 a.pick(mouseevent)
 
     def set_picker(self, picker):