What does the cryptic crossword clue "Part of painter's work starts off collection of art treasures (4)" mean?

The definition is "Part of painter’s work". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). C (first_letter="collection") + O (first_letter="of") + A (first_letter="art") + T (abbreviation="treasures") = COAT; definition: "Part of painter's work" The answer is COAT.

Part of painter's work starts off collection of art treasures (4)

Guardian Cryptic #28971 | 8 Down | 2023-01-19 flower

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