Mr Robinson was born in Belfast in 1918 and died there at the age of 80 in 1999. He had studied at the city’s College of Art.

His first exhibitions also took place in the city during the Second World War but he later became renowned after exhibitions in Dublin, where he also sold many of his paintings throughout the years.

He was renowned for his distinctive expressionist style and while his main passion was painting, he also produced sculptures and designed stained glass panels.

Now, his painting, an oil on canvas with the title Cottage, Woman and Child is being auctioned by Chorley’s, the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire auction specialists and is expected to fetch up to £6,000.

William Parker, picture specialist at Chorley’s, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer this painting by the revered Irish artist Markey Robinson. Robinson’s works are still extremely popular to this day, but this work has the added provenance of having come straight from the artist into the private collection of a hugely significant figure in the art of Ireland, making it fresh to market. We therefore anticipate a lot of interest from Ireland and beyond.”

It will be offered in Chorley’s Modern Art & Design sale on May 21, 2024 and carries an estimate of £4,000-£6,000.

The painting comes from the private collection of the most instrumental Irish art patron of all time, Zoltan Lewinter-Frankl (1894-1961).

He was revered for his unwavering support of Irish artists, such as Colin Middleton, Daniel O’Neill, Jack Yeats and Gerard Dillon to name a few as well as Markey Robinson.

The painting on offer is an early work by the artist, depicting a cottage with figures in the foreground, which is a very typical scene by the artist.

His landscape works such as this, are still very highly sought-after today.