diff --git a/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/namespacebrowser.py b/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/namespacebrowser.py
index 0e2d0695bf6..2314e98638d 100644
--- a/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/namespacebrowser.py
+++ b/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/namespacebrowser.py
@@ -479,6 +479,13 @@ def plot_in_plots_plugin(self, data, funcname):
         import spyder.pyplot as plt
         from IPython.core.pylabtools import print_figure
 
+        try:
+            from matplotlib import rc_context
+        except ImportError:
+            # Ignore fontsize and bottom options if guiqwt is used
+            # as plotting library
+            from contextlib import nullcontext as rc_context
+
         if self.get_conf('pylab/inline/figure_format',
                          section='ipython_console') == 1:
             figure_format = 'svg'
@@ -497,11 +504,23 @@ def plot_in_plots_plugin(self, data, funcname):
             bbox_inches = 'tight'
         else:
             bbox_inches = None
+        matplotlib_rc = {
+            'font.size': self.get_conf('pylab/inline/fontsize',
+                                       section='ipython_console'),
+            'figure.subplot.bottom': self.get_conf('pylab/inline/bottom',
+                                                   section='ipython_console')
+        }
+
+        with rc_context(matplotlib_rc):
+            fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(width, height))
+            getattr(ax, funcname)(data)
+            image = print_figure(
+                fig,
+                fmt=figure_format,
+                bbox_inches=bbox_inches,
+                dpi=resolution
+            )
 
-        fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(width, height))
-        getattr(ax, funcname)(data)
-        image = print_figure(fig, fmt=figure_format, bbox_inches=bbox_inches,
-                             dpi=resolution)
         if figure_format == 'svg':
             image = image.encode()
         self.sig_show_figure_requested.emit(image, mime_type, self.shellwidget)
diff --git a/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/tests/test_namespacebrowser.py b/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/tests/test_namespacebrowser.py
index 71b33421eb4..ab2cf611700 100644
--- a/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/tests/test_namespacebrowser.py
+++ b/spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/widgets/tests/test_namespacebrowser.py
@@ -231,6 +231,35 @@ def test_namespacebrowser_plot_with_mute_inline_plotting_true(
     assert blocker.args == expected_args
 
 
+def test_namespacebrowser_plot_options(namespacebrowser):
+    """
+    Test that font.size and figure.subplot.bottom in matplotlib.rcParams are
+    set to the values from the Spyder preferences when plotting.
+    """
+    def check_rc(*args):
+        from matplotlib import rcParams
+        assert rcParams['font.size'] == 20.5
+        assert rcParams['figure.subplot.bottom'] == 0.314
+
+    namespacebrowser.set_conf('mute_inline_plotting', True, section='plots')
+    namespacebrowser.plots_plugin_enabled = True
+    namespacebrowser.set_conf(
+        'pylab/inline/fontsize', 20.5, section='ipython_console')
+    namespacebrowser.set_conf(
+        'pylab/inline/bottom', 0.314, section='ipython_console')
+
+    mock_figure = Mock()
+    mock_axis = Mock()
+    mock_png = b'fake png'
+
+    with patch('spyder.pyplot.subplots',
+               return_value=(mock_figure, mock_axis)), \
+         patch('IPython.core.pylabtools.print_figure',
+               return_value=mock_png), \
+         patch.object(mock_axis, 'plot', check_rc):
+        namespacebrowser.plot([4, 2], 'plot')
+
+
 def test_namespacebrowser_plot_with_mute_inline_plotting_false(namespacebrowser):
     """
     Test that plotting a list from the namespace browser shows a plot if