This dataset presents the multi-analytical results of pigment analysis from six Tibetan initiation cards in the Zhangzhung Nyengyü Tsakali collection. The color palette was determined through qualitative analysis using scanning wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS).

According the to CSMC´s standardised system for the labelling of analytical data, all measurements are listed in an electronic lab notebook (01_Tsakali_ELN) and documented in an protocol (02_Tsakali_Protocol).

The raw and evaluated data, along with a summary file, can be found together with a summary file in the respective methods folders (XRD, XRF, Raman, FTIR, and FORS).

The research was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy – EXC 2176 'Understanding Written Artefacts: Material, Interaction and Transmission in Manuscript Cultures', project no. 390893796. The research was conducted within the scope of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) at Universität Hamburg and at PETRA III beamline SAXSMAT P62. We acknowledge DESY (Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF, for the provision of experimental facilities.