Cryptic crossword clue
Timeless painting seen in set acquired with much effort 4-6

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word HARD-EARNED

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
H
A
R
D
-
E
A
R
N
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "acquired with much effort" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case acquired with much effort = hard-earned.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does HARD-EARNED mean?

HARD-EARNED noun
  1. Money that one owns.
HARD-EARNED adjective
  1. Having been obtained with a great deal of effort.

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