Short answers, pulled from the story.
Artists avoided depicting the Buddha as a man or woman during the early phase of Buddhist art which lasted from the 2nd century BCE until anthropomorphic representations emerged from the 1st century CE onward. This period relied on symbols like empty thrones, footprints, and lotus flowers to represent his presence instead.
Sculptures from Gandhara displayed wavy hair, drapery covering both shoulders, shoes, sandals, and acanthus leaf ornaments. These features differed sharply from earlier Indian traditions that produced figures with thin muslin cloth on one shoulder and lotus seats.
Qianlong Emperor reached peak imperial patronage by commissioning Tibetan-style religious works depicting him in sacred guises. He rededicated Yonghe Temple in 1744 as Beijing's main Tibetan Buddhist monastery and created vibrant colors characterized paintings produced during his reign.
Borobudur temple in Java contains 505 seated Buddha images within unique bell-shaped stupas. The structure was built between 780 and 850 AD and stands as the largest Buddhist structure globally.
Human figurative forms faced prohibition under Islamic rule when Islam spread in the 7th century leading to systematic destruction. The Taliban regime destroyed Buddhas of Bamiyan along with sculptures from Hadda and multiple conflicts since the 1980s caused pillaging of archaeological sites for resale markets.