Tough lifting gold sculpture (6)
I believe the answer is:
robust
'tough' is the definition.
(robust means tough or strong)
'lifting gold sculpture' is the wordplay.
'lifting' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'gold' becomes 'or' ('or' is the heraldic name for gold).
'sculpture' becomes 'bust' (bust is a kind of sculpture).
'or' written backwards gives 'ro'.
'ro'+'bust'='ROBUST'
(Other definitions for robust that I've seen before include "Tough!" , "Down-to-earth" , "Unlikely to break" , "Rugged and sturdy" , "Sturdy, resilient" .)