René-Antoine Houasse

René-Antoine Houasse, born around 1645 and died May 27, 1710, was a French decorative painter. He was a pupil of Charles le Brun, and worked under his direction at the Manufacture des Gobelins. They worked together on the decoration of the Château de Versailles. René-Antoine Houasse was director of the Académie de France in Rome from 1699 to 1704.

During his directorship, he informed Mansart, then Superintendent of the King's Buildings, not only of the Academy's activities, but also of the most significant events in Roman life that they attended. Before his appointment to the French Academy in Rome, Houasse had been the King's keeper of paintings. When the painter Blanchard, who had replaced him in this role after his departure, died, Houasse asked Mansart to recall him to Paris, which he did.