Overview: The exhibition was held in conjunction with the symposium Hermeticism and the Renaissance, March 25–27, 1982, which was cosponsored by Catholic University, the Folger Institute, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. The symposium was organized by Ingrid Merkel, Catholic University of America, with the assistance of Leonard Beck, Library of Congress, Douglas Lewis, National Gallery of Art, and Susan Zimmerman, The Folger Institute. The display of books, prints, manuscripts, and medals included materials from the collections of the Library of Congress, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Gallery of Art. Most objects dated from the 16th and 17th centuries. It was arranged according to the following categories: alchemy, astrology, medicine, hieroglyphs, emblems and impresse, major figures in the Hermetic tradition, and the Kabbalah.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art. Shreve Simpson, associate dean, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, was curator.